Book One: Struck By Lightning
by Empress Nightshade
Summary: When one is so afraid of the dark but so easily blinded by the light, how can they choose between good and evil? Right and wrong? And yet there she stands, shrouded by his shadow and filled with a sense of naïve hope.
1. Hi, My Name Is

Chapter One:

Hi, My Name is...

A small, eleven-year-old girl rushed through the crowds of people at Kings Cross Station. Her destination: Platform Nine and Three Quarters. She pushed her large cart of luggage, her black robe fluttering behind her, and ran through one of the pillars. Parent-less, unlike some of the other children, the girl boarded the Hogwarts Express by herself.

The girl found an empty compartment and put her trunk away. She slumped onto her seat, the bottom of her gray skirt sliding over her knees. The girl pulled a black tie out of her pocket and put it on. The tie was embroidered with the insignia of the four houses of Hogwarts. On each side of her face were long strands of hair that had been pinned together at her hairline with a blue bead. She pulled them back and tied them into her ponytail, creating two hair-loops. Looking out the window, she watched the other students board the train.

….

Gracefully striding down the platform was a family of three. Their platinum blond hair and black robes made them easily stand out amongst the crowd.

The mother smiled before looking at her husband. "Oh, Lucius, I can't believe it's been eleven years already. And now our little boy is finally going to Hogwarts." She looked down at the boy walking beside her. "Draco, I'm so proud of you."

Lucius curtly nodded. "Of course, Narcissa, dear. This is a day for celebration."

Draco pushed his cart of luggage along before looking up at Lucius. "Father, who is this girl again?"

"Her name is Sylvia Hexington." Lucius frowned. "I want you to find her on the train."

Draco blinked. "But I don't understand, Father. You said this Hexington girl is supposed to be living with us. Is she my new step-sister or something?"

Lucius chuckled. "Nonsense, Draco."

"Your father decided to help this girl." Narcissa put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "And I can see why, given her predicament." She shook her head. "To think a pure-blood being raised by muggles. It should be illegal."

Draco sighed. "So she _is _pure-blood?"

"Of course, Draco." Lucius narrowed his eyes. "I would never let any filth into our home." He knelt in front of Draco. "However, I must warn you. Sylvia has been negatively affected by her upbringing. She is very confused about our world and how it _should_ be. I need you to look after Sylvia while you're both at school. Keep her out of trouble and away from anyone undesirable. Show her what it means to be a true pure-blood."

Draco nodded. "Yes, Father."

"Good." Lucius stood. "Do well at Hogwarts. It's a fine school despite its Headmaster." He smiled. "I know you will make Slytherin."

Draco nodded again.

Narcissa hugged Draco and kissed his forehead. "Good luck, sweetie. Be sure to write us after you get sorted. We'll see you during the Christmas Holiday."

"Yes." Draco held onto the handlebars of his cart. "Goodbye, Mother, Father." He headed for the train.

Narcissa looked at Lucius. "Are you sure she's on the train, dear? You said she ran away. The girl could be anywhere."

Lucius pursed his lips. "Indeed. But she has the trace on her. I already received a report that Sylvia was headed to Kings Cross Station."

"Well, I hope everything turns out alright. The girl's situation is sad." Narcissa frowned. "Still, how was she able to get out the cellar in the first place?"

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "I don't know, but I intend to find out."

….

Draco boarded the train and was soon joined by two boys. One was a bit tall and tough looking, the second was more on the chubby side, and neither looked too bright.

"Crabbe. Goyle." Draco nodded to both of them. "Nice to see you made it."

"What are we gonna do now, Malfoy?" Crabbe tugged at his robes. "Heard the train ride's gonna take all day."

Draco shook his head. If he weren't around to lead them, these two would surely get their heads lost in a ditch somewhere. "First we're going to find a compartment to put our trunks away, and then we're going on a little quest."

Goyle blinked. "Quest?"

"That's right." Draco made his way down the aisle. "Father told me to find a girl on this train; her name is Sylvia Hexington."

Crabbe followed behind him. "Hexington? One of the old wizarding families that died off?"

Goyle scoffed. "Blood-traitors they were."

Draco frowned. _Well, father did warn me. Still, I'm sure it won't be too hard to teach this girl. Just have to show her who is boss._

He passed by a compartment and noticed that it was nearly empty. Peering through the glass, he saw that there was only a girl inside. Nodding to Crabbe and Goyle, Draco stepped back and let them open the compartment door.

Draco stepped inside and examined the girl. _Dark, brown hair, blue eyes, and light brown skin…. Hmm, was that the girl father mentioned?_ He narrowed his grey eyes. "Who are you?"

The girl looked in his direction. Her eyes scanned over his appearance, and she furrowed her brow. "No one."

"That's not very polite." Draco folded his arms. "Either tell me your name or get out of my compartment."

"Your compartment?" The girl glanced at his tie and raised her eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, I was here first. And seeing that you're a first year student like me, you couldn't have possibly claimed it before hand."

Draco pursed his lips tightly and glared at her. "How dare you speak to me like that? Do you know who I am?"

The girl shook her head. "No, and I couldn't care less."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You mean you haven't heard of the rich and powerful Malfoy family?"

The girl blinked.

"I'll take that as a no." Draco frowned. _Still, she's acting a bit weird. It seemed like she recognized me when she looked at me the first time._ He sighed. "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me your name, girl."

The girl shifted her eyes away. "Sorry, but I don't give my name to rude gits like you."

_I thought so. She's just a mud-blood. A waste of space._ Draco sneered at the girl. "Filthy mud-blood. You're gonna pay for not respecting your superiors." He looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "Teach her a lesson."

Crabbe and Goyle surrounded the girl. She stood on her seat and took out her wand. She aimed it at the three boys with a mischievous glint in her eye. Crabbe and Goyle backed up slightly.

Draco motioned them forward. "Go on. She probably can't even do any magic yet."

Smirking, the girl muttered, "Shows how much you know."

She recited an incantation and flicked her wand. The boys tumbled and wobbled from side to side, their legs like jelly. The girl put her wand away and quickly gathered her trunk.

….

The girl walked out of the compartment, leaving the three boys on the floor. _Malfoy, huh? So that was his son._

Coming across another compartment, the girl peaked inside and spotted two first year boys. One was a fair-skinned brunet wearing glasses. He was dressed in a plaid jacket with khaki pants. The other was a redheaded boy with pale skin and freckles. He was wearing a green jacket and a pair of jeans.

"Excuse me?" The girl slid the door further open. "Is this compartment full? I have nowhere else to sit."

The brunet looked at her, revealing his green eyes. "No, come on in."

The girl gave him a short bow. "Thank you." She entered the compartment and put her trunk away.

The brunet smiled. "I'm Harry Potter, by the way."

The girl didn't identify his name. "Nice to meet you." She bowed again. "I'm Sylvia Hexington." She sat down beside him.

"Hexington?" The redhead looked at her. "You're the Hexington girl I heard about."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. "Uh… and your name is…?"

"Sorry. Ron Weasley." He took a bite out of the candy he was holding.

Sylvia glanced at Ron with a quirked eyebrow. "How do you know who I am? We've never met."

"My father works for the Ministry of Magic." Ron tapped his chin, trying to remember the rest. "I overheard him talking to my mum about some girl named Hexington that the Ministry found."

Harry saw Sylvia grimace at the mention of the Ministry. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "It's not important."

Ron pulled out his wand. "Hey, do you two want to see a spell my brother Fred showed me?"

Harry's eyes lit up with excitement. "Sure."

Sylvia simply nodded, her gaze drifting to the floor. Before Ron could say the incantation, the compartment door opened. A first year girl stood in the open gap. She had bushy, dirty-blond hair and was already in her Hogwarts uniform.

"Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one." Everyone shook his or her heads. The new girl spotted Ron's wand. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then."

Ron continued and pointed his wand at his pet rat. "_Sunshine daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow_." A yellow light emitted from his wand, but nothing happened.

The girl grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Is that a real spell? Well it's not very good is it? I've tried a few simple ones myself, but they've all worked for me." She walked into the compartment and sat beside Ron. Taking out her wand, she pointed it at the tape on Harry's glasses. "For example, _Oculus Reparo_."

His glasses were repaired. Harry pulled them off his face to examine them. When he did so, the girl noticed a lightning blot shaped scar on his forehead.

Her eyes widened. "Holy Cricket, you're Harry Potter. I'm Hermione Granger." She glanced at Ron and Sylvia. "And you two are?"

Ron nodded. "Ron Weasley."

Sylvia gave another short bow. "Sylvia Hexington."

"Pleasure." Hermione looked at them with distaste. "You two boys better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon." She stood up and headed out of the compartment.

Harry and Ron shared confused glances.

Sylvia closed her eyes. _That girl has definitely got some of her wires wound too tight._

….

Draco gripped onto the edge of the seat beside him and tried to stand.

Crabbe managed to get to his feet, but ended up tripping over Goyle. "Malfoy, I thought you said she couldn't do magic."

"Shut it." He pushed himself up by his arms. "Filthy mud-blood. I'll make sure to get her back once school begins." He slipped back onto the floor.

The compartment door opened; all three of them turned to their heads to see Hermione standing in the doorway.

She eyed the three of them before asking, "Have any of you seen a toad in here?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "No."

Hermione folded her arms. "Performed a jelly-legs jinx on yourself, did you?"

Draco slipped again and let a small yelp. "No."

"Is that all you know how to say?" She raised an eyebrow.

He groaned. "Look, smarty pants, if you're not going to undo the jinx, then I suggest you leave."

"If that's your idea of asking for help, then I'll be on my way then." Hermione shut the door.

Draco reached into his pockets for his wand. Pointing it at his legs, he recited the counter-curse. He felt his limbs go back to normal and finally stood. He did the same to Crabbe and Goyle. All three of them sat down.

Goyle looked at Draco. "So are we going to find the girl?"

"Later. I'm sure when we reach Hogwarts, she'll turn up somewhere. Besides, that'll also give us the perfect opportunity to find _him._"

Crabbe scratched his head. "Who?"

"The Boy Who Lived. If the rumors are correct, he should be attending Hogwarts this year." Draco grinned. "Perhaps he'll make a good addition to our group."

….

Night had fallen once the train finally reached its destination. Sylvia got her trunk and followed Ron and Harry off the train. A large man with a lantern was calling the first years to him.

Sylvia blinked. "Who's that?"

Harry smiled. "That's Hagrid. Don't worry. He's really nice."

Hagrid led the first years to a group of long boats on the shore of the lake. Sylvia, Harry, and Ron sat together in one. Gasps filled the air as dazzled eyes raked over the magnificent school. It was an enormous castle, lit up by candles and torches, giving it a warm glow.

_Well, it does look magical. That's for sure. _Sylvia softly smiled. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all._

The first year students entered and walked up the stairs toward the Great Hall. Waiting at the top of the stairs, was an old woman dressed in a large, black hat and a green robe.

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She looked at the new students with a firm gaze. "I am Professor McGonagall. Before you join your classmates, you must first be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you're here, your house will be like your family. Triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." She walked away and entered the Great Hall.

"So it's true then…what they were saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Everyone began to murmur at the sound of his name.

Sylvia glanced around with a frown. _What's special about Harry?_ She saw Draco step out from the crowd and stand in front of Harry.

Draco gestured to the two boys behind him. "This is Crabbe and Goyle." He smirked. "And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Ron snickered, making Draco glare in his direction.

"Think my name's funny do you? 'Fraid to ask yours?" He looked him up and down with disgust. "Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley." Draco returned his attention to Harry. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Harry watched Draco hold out his hand, but he didn't shake it. "I think I can tell the wrong sort by myself thanks."

McGonagall returned and led the first years into the Great Hall. The other students were already seated among four separate tables. The other Professors were lined up in the front with the Headmaster in the center. The first years were gathered in at the front of all the student tables. There, standing in front of them, was a stool with an old hat sitting on it.

McGonagall stopped walking and gestured to the staff table. "Before we begin, Headmaster Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

Dumbledore stood. He appeared to be the eldest wizard there. His hair was long and white. He was dressed in a decorative robe, with half-moon shaped specs. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Let the first years note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. The caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to those of you who do not wish to die a most painful death."

The first years looked at each other in worry and confusion, but turned their attention toward McGonagall. She had a list in one hand and the old hat in the other. "Now when I call your name, you will come up here. I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into houses." She read the list. "Hermione Granger!"

Hermione walked up, extremely nervous, and took her place on the stool. The hat was put on her head and shouted the name Gryffindor. Next was Draco Malfoy. He strode up to the stool confidently. The hat barely touched his head before shouting out Slytherin.

Ron leaned toward Harry and whispered, "There's no witch nor wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin."

Sylvia was standing behind them and overheard Ron's comment. She looked at the Slytherin table where Draco went. _Sure, he's a brat, but that can't mean every bad, magical person comes from the same house. Evil doesn't have a label._

Ron's name was called. He approached the stool. The hat sorted him into Gryffindor with his siblings, and a look of relief fell on his features.

McGonagall's eyes scanned the list. "Harry Potter!"

The whole room fell silent. Everyone whispered amongst each other, wondering which house Harry would be in. The hat took a long time, and it mentioned Harry being a difficult choice. Finally, it settled on Gryffindor. Harry approached his new house, and the entire Gryffindor table cheered with excitement.

"Sylvia Hexington!"

She came into view and walked toward the stool. At the Slytherin table, Draco glanced up at the mention of her name and his eyes widened.

The hat was placed on Sylvia's head and began to talk. "_Ah, another difficult one I see. You have a lot of past experience that proves your bravery, loyalty, and cunning. And there's something else…very interesting…._"

Sylvia frowned. "_What's interesting?_"

"_You yearn for a sense of belonging, a place to call home, and a chance to discover who you are. Is this true?_"

"_I suppose…._"Sylvia rolled her eyes and sighed._ "Not like it matters. Just pick a house already, you dumb hat."_

_"And quite the snarky mouth. Still, there's only one house that will point you in the right direction._" The hat looked out toward the crowd. "Slytherin!"

The Slytherin table cheered. Sylvia came to their table and sat down next to Draco. The feast began, and everyone was busy eating.

"So you're the Hexington girl." Draco glanced up at her. "I was looking for you on the train. Why didn't you acknowledge me?"

Sylvia narrowed her eyes. "Because you were rude. What else?"

Draco blinked. "Well then, I'm sorry."

"Are you saying that because you're actually sorry?" Sylvia frowned. "Or is it because you now know who I am?"

Draco remained silent before pursing his lips and sneering at her.

_That's what I thought._ Sylvia continued eating while observing everything in the hall. She noticed Harry, who was sitting with his friends at Gryffindor table. He looked up and smiled. _Strange. I figured he wouldn't like me anymore since I've been put into Slytherin._ Harry happily waved. _He's nice, a bit too nice for his own good._ Sylvia smiled and politely waved back.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Why are you waving at him for?"

"Because he was actually kind to me." Sylvia frowned. "I don't see why you care."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't. My father told me to look after you while we're at school."

Sylvia scoffed. "I'm sure he did, but I can take care of myself." She closed her eyes and groaned. _Why me?_

Soon the feast was over. The first years were led out of the Great Hall by the house prefects. Sylvia followed the rest of the Slytherins, and they headed down into the dungeons.

Sylvia glanced at her surroundings. _This place is huge. I doubt I'll ever be able to find my way around._

They went through the trap door and entered the common room. It glowed greenish tint from the flames of the large fireplace. There were various tables and cushions to sit on. The stairway leading to the dorms was on the right side, and the window in the back showed a clear, inside view of the Black Lake.

Sylvia yawned. _Sleep does sound really good right now. It's been such a long day._

"I guess I'll see you in the morning."

"Huh?" Sylvia turned around and saw Draco standing behind her. "Oh, I guess…."

Draco strode pass her. "Meet me by the fireplace at seven."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

He faced her. "So I can take you to class of course. Wouldn't want you getting lost."

Sylvia put her hands on her hips. "I'll do just fine on my own thank you."

"I wasn't asking." Draco headed toward the boys' dorm. "Remember, seven. Don't sleep in."

_Git._ Sylvia frowned. She followed the other girls upstairs.

She entered the first years' room and found her bed. Her trunk and belongings were sitting beside it. Sylvia sat on the bed.

_I'm at Hogwarts._ Sylvia leaned back and stared at the ceiling. _A school of magic. And I'm a witch. And everyone here is just like me. This still feels too unbelievable._

"So you're Hexington, right?"

Sylvia glanced across the room. Sitting in another bed was a girl with dirty, blond hair. Sylvia shrugged. "Yes."

The girl nodded. "I'm Millicent Bulstrode."

Another girl opened the curtains to her bed. She was already dressed in her pajamas and had long, dark hair. "Daphne Greengrass."

A third girl hopped onto her own bed. "Tracey Davis."

Sylvia's eyes drifted to the last girl in the room. She had short, black hair, and her face easily resembled a pug's.

The girl held her head up, her nose scrunched. "Pansy Parkinson." She narrowed her eyes. "I've heard of your family, Hexington." She grinned. "They died back in the war. Serves them right if you ask me." Pansy snorted. "They were good for nothing blood-traitors."

Sylvia frowned. "No one _was _asking you."

Pansy folded her arms. "Well, I said it anyway. Heard you were raised by muggles." She laughed. "You might as well have been a mud-blood. You probably know nothing about our world."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "Well, I can always learn, Parkinson. You, on the other hand, can't do anything about that ugly face of yours."

Pansy's cheeks flushed. She glared at Sylvia. "Oh… oh yeah? Well, you'd better tread lightly around the rest of us, Hexington. Or else."

"Whatever." Sylvia shut her curtains._ Well, so much for making friends in this house_ Lying down, she let out a small yawn._ I hadn't realized how tired am I. Then again, it has been a long day._ Closing her eyes, she drifted to sleep.


	2. The Odd Slytherin

Chapter Two:

The Odd Slytherin

Sylvia sighed while she waited by the fireplace in the common room. She watched some of the other students head outside into the dungeons. Everyone seemed to have their own group of friends; some of her older peers had boyfriends or girlfriends. Even Pansy and the other first year girls were already fast friends. They giggled and gossiped amongst each other while they made their way down from the dormitories. Pansy took a moment to sneer at Sylvia while she walked by. Sylvia just blinked unemotionally. She didn't want to ruin her first day by getting into a pointless fight.

"There you are."

Sylvia turned around and saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. And this was her group. Crabbe and Goyle had clueless expressions on their faces while they stood faithfully behind Draco. _They seem to follow him a lot. What are they, his bodyguards?_

Draco stood beside her. "Morning."

"Good Morning to you too." Sylvia sighed again. And of course Draco, she had no intention of being friends with him. _Why should I? He's rude, and pompous, and…and…._

"We're heading to the Great Hall first for breakfast." Draco headed toward the trap door. "Come on."

_And bossy. Why does he think he can just order me around?_ Sylvia simply nodded.

She followed behind Draco, and they made their way out of the dungeons. Reaching the Great Hall, they sat at the Slytherin table. Sylvia glanced across the room toward the Gryffindor table and noticed that Harry and Ron weren't there. She saw the other students talking and laughing amongst each other, and then there was that other girl. Sylvia almost didn't see her there, since the girl's face was buried in one of her textbooks. However, the book couldn't hide the girl's bushy hair.

Sylvia thought for a minute. _What was her name? Oh, that's right, Hermione._ She had seemed a bit into herself on the train, and she had only acted nice to Harry, completely ignoring her and Ron. _Then again, everyone seems to act strange around Harry. Wonder why?_

Draco glanced at Sylvia. "Are you ready for today's classes?"

Sylvia shrugged. "I guess. I won't really know until we get there."

"Well, we have potions first." Draco smiled. "Should be enjoyable since the professor is our Head of House. My father is friends with him, you know."

"Really?" Sylvia rolled her eyes. "How interesting." She saw Harry and Ron finally shuffle into the Great Hall.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Honestly, how long are you going to keep watching those Gryffindors?"

Sylvia looked down at her plate. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid." Draco took a sip of his pumpkin juice. "You've been staring at them since we came in here." He sneered in Harry and Ron's direction. "Especially Potter and Weasley."

Sylvia folded her arms. "And what's it to you?"

"Look, I don't care how nice they were to you on the train." Draco met her gaze. "You're a Slytherin and a pure-blood. Start acting like one. We don't associate ourselves with people below our status."

"That's funny." Sylvia quirked an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who was trying to befriend Harry last night?"

Draco pursed his lips. "Well, it's obvious what side Potter's on now. It would be better if you stayed away from him."

"Fine." Sylvia looked away from Draco and continued her meal. _Who does he think he is? I can be friends with whomever I want._

….

After breakfast, the first years headed down into the dungeons for Potions class. They entered the classroom. It was fairly dark; however, the Slytherin students were already used to it. Sylvia glanced around. There were shelves alongside the walls with various potions stacked on them. The students headed for the desks in the middle of the room. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle headed for the front of the row; Sylvia noticed Harry and Ron make their way over to the middle rows on the far right.

She shifted her gave between them and Draco, who had his back turned to her. Nodding to herself, Sylvia walked over to Harry. "Excuse me, may I sit with you?"

Ron narrowed his eyes at Sylvia. "What for?"

Sylvia furrowed her brow. Ron and the other Gryffindors were giving her unwelcoming looks like she had just stepped onto their territory. "Well, we haven't been able to see each other much since we've been sorted into different houses and everything. So I was just wondering…."

Harry smiled. "It's all right. You can sit over here."

Sylvia returned his smile and slightly bowed. "Thank you."

Ron blinked. "Why do you always bow like that?"

"Where I come from, it's a respectful greeting." Sylvia sat beside Harry.

Ron sat on Harry's opposite side and whispered, "Are you sure we should be letting _her_ sit over here?"

Harry looked at him. "Why not? She's really nice. I don't see a problem with it."

"Um, hello." Ron gestured to the insignia on Sylvia's robes. "She's a Slytherin, remember?"

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with her." Harry pulled out a sheet of parchment and his quill and ink.

Ron shook his head. "If you say so."

Sylvia brought out her potions book. "So what's Gryffindor house like, Harry?"

Harry met her gaze. "Oh, we're in one of the towers at the top of the school. We have a huge view of the school grounds."

"I bet it's lovely." Sylvia smiled. "We're stuck down here in the dungeons, but we can see inside of the Black Lake. One of the prefects told us that all sorts of sea creatures live in there. Even a giant squid."

A shadow cast over Sylvia and Harry. They both looked up to see Draco. He narrowed his eyes at Sylvia.

"What do you think you're doing?" Draco folded his arms. "I thought I told you to stay away from Potter." He sneered at Harry.

"Just because we're in the same house, Draco, doesn't mean you can boss me around." Sylvia glared at him. "I want to be friends with them."

Draco was about to argue, but he heard the classroom door open. The professor walked inside. Draco narrowed his eyes at Sylvia one last time before returning to his seat. Sylvia watched the professor make his way to the front of the class. She remembered seeing him at the feast the day before. He was dressed in all black; the cape of his tunic billowed behind him as he walked. He turned and faced the class, his expression stern.

_He is our Head of House; what else would he be?_ Sylvia saw Harry frowned at the professor.

In fact, all of the students, who weren't in Slytherin, looked wary of him, well… almost all of them. Hermione had a bright, eager smile on her face; her textbook and necessary supplies were neatly arranged on her desk. However, the Gryffindor boy next to her seemed to be the exact opposite. Sylvia vaguely remembered him from the sorting. He was a pudgy boy; a toad was resting on top of his book. He trembled in his seat, his eyes glued to the professor.

"My name is Professor Snape. Now, I don't expect any of you to appreciate the art that is potion making, but for those select few who possess the predisposition. I can teach how to bewitch the mind, and ensnare the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death." Snape's eyes scanned every student.

Sylvia saw him focus on her briefly, but then his attention immediately drifted to her right.

"Then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts with abilities so formidable that you see fit to not pay attention." Snape made his way over to Harry and stood over him.

Sylvia glanced at Harry; he had been scribbling down notes from Snape's speech. Harry looked up from his parchment.

Snape stared at Harry. "Ah, Mr. Potter, our new celebrity."

Sylvia raised her hand. "Um, excuse me, Professor, but Harry was only taking notes."

"Is that so...?" Snape glanced at Sylvia. "Ms. Hexington." His stern gaze softened slightly.

Harry held up his notes. "Yes. They're right here, sir."

"Very well, I'll let it slide this one time." Snape returned his attention to Harry. "But be sure, Mr. Potter, that Ms. Hexington won't always be able to speak up for you." He returned to his spot in the front of the class. "Today, you will start with a very simple potion. A cure for boils. Turn to page five of your textbooks." He gestured toward the chalkboard beside him. "The ingredients you require are on the shelves to the right. Everyone will work in pairs, and you will have until the end of class to finish" He sat down at his desk. "You may begin."

Sylvia looked at Harry. "Uh, do you want to be partners?"

Harry shifted his gaze between her and Ron, but he noticed that she was sitting at the end of the row. "Sure. Ron, could you pair with Dean?"

Ron frowned and narrowed his eyes at Sylvia. "Fine."

Sylvia opened her textbook to page five and read some of the instructions. "Let's see…. Six snake fangs, four horned slugs, and two porcupine quills. I'll get the ingredients while you get the cauldron ready, Harry."

He nodded. "Alright."

Getting a small tray, Sylvia stood up and made her way to the shelves. The ingredients were labeled, and she took the amount she needed. The slugs, however, were a bit of a challenge. They were so slimly that she had trouble picking one of them up without accidentally crushing them with her fingers.

"Here."

She turned and saw Draco standing next to her. He reached into the huge jar and easily pulled out a slug and set it on her tray.

Sylvia blinked. "Uh, thank you."

"You're lucky I'm bothering to help you at all." Draco eyed her displeasingly before picking out three more slugs. "There. You're free to run back to Potter now."

She sighed at the bitterness in Draco's tone. "Whatever." She headed back to her seat and sat down. "What's next?"

Harry glanced at the instructions. "It says that we have to crush the snake fangs into a fine powder."

"Okay." Sylvia took the snake fangs, being careful not to prick herself with them, and placed them into a small bowl. She took the masher and tried to grind them. Two of the fangs snapped in half while the others didn't budge. She roughly pounded the masher repeatedly into the bowl.

Harry lightly grasped her wrist, stopping her. "Uh, maybe I should do it."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "What? I was crushing them."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, but the instructions said the _fangs_ not the _bowl_."

She rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha."

They continued to work on the potion in silence. It was soon the end of class, and they just finished adding in the last ingredient into the cauldron.

"Okay, next it says stir five times clockwise," Harry said.

Sylvia took the stirring stick; she paused. "Uh, which direction is clockwise, again?" She saw Harry make a circular motion with his right hand, and she nodded. Sylvia stirred the potion the correct number of times. She then took out her wand and waved it over the cauldron. She looked at the potion. "What color is it supposed to be again?"

Harry reread the instructions. "Blue."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. "It looks more like a greenish-blue to me."

Harry looked into their cauldron. "Well, it's our first time making a potion. I'm sure it'll be fine. By the way, thanks for helping me back there."

"No problem. I didn't want to see you get into trouble." Sylvia glanced up from her potions book and whispered, "Although, I didn't think he'd go with it. He's the Head of Slytherin. The older students said that he favors people in his own house, so I took a shot at it."

Hermione looked at her from across the aisle. "Taking advantage of your house's benefits. You truly do belong in Slytherin."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "And what's wrong with that?"

Ron leaned in from his spot next to Harry. "Slytherin house _always_ produces the worst wizards and witches to date."

"Talking instead of working on your assignment." Snape made a mark on the parchment on his desk. "Ten points from Gryffindor."

Hermione pointed at Sylvia. "But she was talking too."

Snape sneered. "And giving the professor cheek, another five points from Gryffindor."

Mumbling under her breath, Hermione glared at Sylvia. A scream erupted from behind Hermione. Sylvia looked past her; it was the pudgy boy. The cauldron in front of him was starting to melt.

"Neville, you were supposed take the cauldron off the fire first!" The boy next to Neville scooted back from the cauldron.

Neville was splashed with the liquid and boils started breaking out all over his face. Snape took more points away from Gryffindor and took care of Neville's mess. Everyone else was required to put a portion of their potion into a vial and leave it on his desk. Sylvia gathered her things and put them away in her bag before following Harry and Ron out of the room.

She caught up to them and walked alongside them "Do you guys have Charms next?"

"Why?" Ron glared at her. "So you can get us into trouble in that class too?"

"But I didn't do anything." Sylvia frowned. "You and Hermione were the ones who joined the conversation."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. Do us a favor and stay with your own house."

Sylvia stopped walking, letting Harry and Ron leave.

"And that's why you shouldn't mingle with people below your status."

Sylvia turned around, and saw Draco behind her. "But I…."

"But nothing." Draco stood in front of her. "If you don't want to get yourself hurt, then I suggest you listen to me. Potter might be famous, but he's just a half-blood. And the Weasleys are nothing but dirt-poor blood-traitors. People like them have no respect for wizarding society. You saw the way they treated you."

Sylvia sighed. "I know, but…."

Draco shook his head. "Stop making excuses." He started walking. "Now, come on. We need to get to Charms before we're late."

After going up several levels of stairs, everyone made it to their next class. When Sylvia entered the room with Draco and the other Slytherin students, she looked across the room. Harry and Ron were already seated amongst their Gryffindor peers. Sylvia and Harry made eye contact, but she glanced away and followed Draco to the seats on the opposite side.

A short man stood before the class. "Good day, first years. My name is Professor Flitwick and welcome to Charms."

Sylvia heard Draco whisper to Crabbe and Goyle. "Can you believe they let a half-breed goblin teach this class?"

Crabbe and Goyle just nodded and grinned.

_How rude. And who cares if our professor is a goblin anyway?_ Sylvia frowned at Draco before returning her attention to Flitwick.

"Today we shall not start with any spells. Our first lesson will be on proper form." Flitwick smiled. "This is very important if you want to perform any incantation correctly. Now, everyone, bring out your wands."

Sylvia pulled out hers; it was black and eleven and three-quarter inches long. Staring at it, she recalled when she was in Ollivander's shop. A lot of the wand combinations she tried didn't like her until she got to this one. He had said that the wand itself was made of ebony and that it was very non-conforming. But it was the core that had caught her interest. It was the hair of a kelpie.

_A shape-shifting water-demon._ Sylvia smiled at the memory; she knew this wand was hers before Ollivander even placed it in her hand. _He said that this core was inferior to the other types he used, but the ebony wood would help compensate. I don't care; this wand chose me. And I'll use it the best way I can._

Feeling someone nudge her side, she turned her head.

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Pay attention."

_Like he's one to talk._ Sylvia noticed all the other students were swishing their wands, and she was the only who wasn't. She tried her best to mimic them.

"Swish the wand, then flick it." Draco demonstrated it for her.

Her face slightly flushed, and she frowned while she did the appropriate hand movement. _How could I space out like that?_

Soon the class ended; Flitwick announced that in a few weeks they would start with their first spell. Sylvia sighed.

_Why do we have to wait so long? And how many hand movements do we really need to learn until then?_ Sylvia followed behind Draco. "Um, I have to go to the bathroom. I'll meet you guys in the Great Hall."

Draco nodded and walked off in another direction with Crabbe and Goyle following behind him.

Sylvia made her way into the courtyard. The sun was shining brightly, and there were students all over the place going to and fro. She noticed Harry, Ron, and some other Gryffindor boys walking by. She made her way over to the group of boys. "Um, hi, Harry."

Ron narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Harry looked at Ron. "Will you stop being rude?" He smiled at Sylvia. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Sylvia bit her lip. "However, I just wanted to apologize if I got you guys into trouble. I was only hoping we could be friends, but if you don't want to be, I understand." She walked away.

Harry followed her. "Hey, wait."

Sylvia stopped. "Yes?"

"I know you were just trying to help. Ron and the others are just wary of you because…."

"I'm in Slytherin." Sylvia nodded. "I know." She sat down on a nearby bench. "I don't see why. I mean, you guys had no problem with me on the train."

"Right." Harry sat beside her. "But I wouldn't mind being friends with you. Although, I've never been friends with a girl before."

Sylvia giggled. "What? Do you still think us girls have cooties or something?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Um… have you been living in the wizarding world all your life?"'

"Not exactly, although I am pure-blood." Sylvia met his gaze. "But why are you so popular? All the students keep talking about you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"

Sylvia shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, I'm the boy who lived, or at least that's what everyone's been calling me. Apparently I stopped You-Know-Who."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. "You mean the Dark Lord who was leading that war eleven years ago?"

"Yes. You-Know-Who killed my parents, but he couldn't kill me for some reason. That's why I have this mark on my forehead." Harry lifted his bangs showing Sylvia the lightning bolt-shaped scar. "I've been living with my muggle aunt and uncle ever since."

Sylvia put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your parents."

Harry smiled. "Thanks."

"Anyway, I'd better get going." Sylvia stood up. "I told Draco I was going to the bathroom, and I don't want him to get suspicious."

"Why are you hanging around Malfoy?" Harry stood up as well. "He's not very nice."

"It's complicated." Sylvia headed toward the Great Hall. "See you later, Harry."

Harry waved. "See you, Sylvia."

Sylvia smiled to herself. _Draco was wrong. Besides, I don't care about status and all of the stupid things he went on about. I just want one real friend, who likes me for who I am._

….

Harry returned to the other boys. Ron was staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just what was that all about?"

Harry walked beside him. "What's the big deal?"

Ron frowned. "The big deal? She's a Slytherin; I told you…."

"I know what you said, Ron, but she's doesn't seem bad to me."

Ron sighed. "If you want to make friends with her, fine. But don't be surprised when she stabs you in the back."

….

Sylvia found Draco and the others in one of the corridors and walked over to them.

Draco glanced at her. "There you are. What took you so long?"

"Sorry, got a bit turned around." Sylvia pulled out her schedule from her pocket. "Our next class is flying. Wait… flying lessons?"

She saw Draco give her a look she couldn't read; he then nodded as though he had just remembered something. "That's right. You don't have any experience with flying on broomsticks, do you?"

Sylvia shook her head. "No, for obvious reasons."

"Anyway, I'm sure you'll like it." Draco smirked. "Father already taught me; I plan on trying out for the Quidditch team next year."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. _There he goes again. Honestly, does he always have to brag about himself? _She furrowed her brow. "And what is Quidditch?"

Draco let out a small snort. "You really are out of touch. Quidditch is only the best sport there is. You'll learn plenty about it once we have out first game of the year."

_Well, it does sound interesting._ Sylvia followed Draco toward another part of the castle.

They headed outside and reached a large field. In the distance, Sylvia could see a large arena of some sort. There were long, tall stands that were decorated with the colors of each house. Squinting her eyes, she could see three, thin hoops resting on two sides of the ring.

"That's the Quidditch pitch."

She turned, seeing Draco standing beside her. He nodded for her to follow him toward the center of the field. Sylvia noticed some of the other students heading over there, including Harry and Ron. Lying on the grass were two rows of brooms; she picked one of them up. The long, wooden handle was covered in bumps and scrapes, and the broom part itself looked nothing more than collection of tattered hay that had been lazily strung together.

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "I'm supposed to fly on _this_?"

Draco noticed her expression and laughed. "Don't worry, I own much nicer brooms than these withered, old logs. These are just for practice." He stood in front of one of the brooms, claiming it as his before pointing to the spot on his right. "Here, this one's a bit better."

"Thank you." She set the broom she had back on the grass and took her spot beside Draco. She saw Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors standing opposite from them. Ron glanced her with a frown while Harry just smiled. She simply shifted her eyes at Draco, hoping Harry would get the message.

The professor stepped out onto the field. She was dressed in dark blue robes, her white hair cut into a short style. When she turned around, Sylvia gasped. The professor had yellow, cat-like eyes.

_That's different._ Sylvia diverted her gaze.

The professor smiled at everyone. "Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch."

Hooch nodded. "Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick." She waited for the students to do so. "Stick your right hand over the broom and say up."

A chorus of "ups" echoed throughout the field. Harry's broom instantly flew into his hand, and Draco's soon followed into his own a second after. Sylvia looked down at her broom.

"Up." It didn't budge. "Up!" It still remained on the ground.

Hooch looked at the students who still hadn't passed the step. "With feeling."

_Come on, it can't be this hard. _Sylvia glared down at the broom. "Up!" This time it hovered a few inches off of the ground before dropping back down. She groaned. "I said up, you stupid stick!"

The broom jolted into her hand so fast that it jerked her arm upwards and lifted her slightly in the air. She yelped, the handle smacking roughly against her palm. Feeling the ground beneath her feet again, she quickly shifted the broom under her left arm and started rubbing her hand.

Draco grinned. "Hate to see how you do once we actually begin flying."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, shut up."

"Ow!"

Sylvia stared in Ron's direction. His broom had shot up and smacked him in the face; his hand was now covering his nose, his face as red as his hair. Everyone started laughing, and even Sylvia couldn't help but giggle a little bit. Finally the class had their brooms in hand, and Hooch began the next instruction for the lesson.

"Now, once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding off the end."

Sylvia mounted her broom; she saw how Draco had his hands positioned and did the same. Hooch walked down the row and adjusted both of their hands. In fact, Harry was the only one who had gotten the pose correctly.

Hooch returned to her spot at the head of the rows. "When I blow my whistle, I want you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle. Three, two…. "

_Sweet._ Sylvia smiled the second the whistle sounded. However, her concentration on the lesson was broken when all of the Gryffindors started shouting at Neville. Looking up, Sylvia saw that Neville was flying high in the air and couldn't come down despite Hooch's demands. She heard Draco and the other Slytherins laugh at him.

"Mr. Longbottom, come down this instant!" Hooch pulled her wand out from her robes.

Unfortunately, the broom had a mind of its own and took Neville for a ride on the rooftops. He got caught on one of the statues and dropped to the ground. Everyone ran over to him before Hooch instructed them to move. Sylvia walked over to Draco and noticed that he had picked up something from the ground. It was a small, translucent ball.

"What's that?"

Draco glanced at her, a smirk quickly forming on his face. "Neville's remembrall." He showed it to the other Slytherins, who started chuckle and giggle.

"Everyone is to keep your feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing."

Hooch passed the students, Neville at her side. From what Sylvia could see, he must have broken his arm because Hooch was carefully holding it while they walked off the field. Hooch narrowed her eyes at the class.

"Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say Quidditch."

Sylvia leaned against her broom and sighed. "Well, this sucks. I really wanted to learn how to fly."

Pansy sneered at the Gryffindors. "Figures _they_ would ruin everything." The other girls nodded behind her.

Draco tossed the remembrall up and down in his hand. "Just because the class is cancelled, doesn't mean we still can't have some fun."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Watch." Draco strode over to the rest of the students. He held up the remembrall for them to see. "Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse."

Harry glared at Draco and walked over to him. "Give it here, Malfoy."

"No." Draco smirked at him. "I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find." He mounted his broom and flew up into the air. "How about on the roof?" He soared up to a point before stopping and looking down at the others. "What's the matter, Potter? Bit beyond your reach?"

Sylvia watched Draco, her eyes wide. _So that's how we fly? He makes it look so easy._ She then noticed Harry mounting his broom. _Harry's not actually dumb enough to go up there? Draco is just baiting him. He'll get in trouble._

Hermione stepped in front of Harry. "Harry, no way! You heard what Madam Hooch said. Besides, you don't even know how to fly."

Harry ignored her and took off into the air after Draco.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What an idiot."

Sylvia watched Draco and Harry. She could barely hear what they were shouting at each other, but then she saw Draco throw the remembrall. Harry chased after it at an incredible speed. With a small flip, he caught it in mid air before it hit the side of one of the castle towers.

Sylvia gasped. _How did he do that? That was amazing._

Hearing the other students cheering, she glanced around. Well, except for the other Slytherins. She noticed that Draco had returned to the ground; he was glaring at Harry, a scowl on his face. Harry landed while holding the remembrall high for everyone to see. The Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff students ran over to him and continued their cheering.

Sylvia felt tempted to go over to him as well, but decided against it. _I can't, not with Draco here._

"Harry Potter!"

Everyone turned to see McGonagall walking out onto the field. Her stern gaze found Harry amongst the crowd. "Follow me."

Harry looked back at everyone before following her into the castle. Sylvia heard Draco chuckle next to her.

"Serves him right."

Sylvia turned around. "Why did you do that?"

Draco met her gaze. "Do what?"

"What?" She folded her arms. "You got Harry in trouble on purpose."

"Of course I did. As far as I'm concerned, Potter needed to be taken down a peg." He narrowed his eyes. "And why are you defending him?"

Sylvia walked over to Draco until she was directly in his face. "Because what you did was wrong, that's why."

From the corner of her eye, Sylvia noticed that everyone's attention was on the two of them. She focused her attention back at Draco, who was sneering at her.

"And what are you going to do about it, Hexington?"

"I'll tell Madame Hooch that you were flying too."

"Like the professors would believe you."

"Everyone saw what you did."

"And you'd really turn on your house like that?"

Sylvia paused, her gaze locked with Draco's. Whispers echoed around them, but she was too focused on Draco's statement to focus on what was being said. One was supposed to be loyal to their house and their housemates no matter what. She could tell by the way Ron changed his attitude toward her after the sorting, she could tell by the things Draco tried to teach her, and she could tell by the way everyone organized themselves in the Great Hall and in class. She was a Slytherin, and she could only be amongst other Slytherins, and worse… she had to adopt their ideals.

_But there's Harry; he never stopped being nice me. And he stood up to Draco. He does the right thing._ Sylvia bit her lip and stepped back from Draco.

He smirked at her. "That's what I thought."

Pansy let out a piggish snort and stood beside him. "She descends from traitors, Draco, don't be surprised."

Sylvia glanced at the others, who were giving her strange stares. She could still go and tattle, but what would be the repercussions from her housemates if she did? She could challenge Draco right here like Harry did, but that didn't seem right either. Instead, she turned away from everyone and headed into the castle.


	3. Rebellion

Chapter Three:

Rebellion

It was the next day, and Sylvia was heading to the Great hall for breakfast. This time she didn't wait for Draco; after their Flying class, she didn't want to be bothered. That didn't stop her fellow housemates from staring at her and whispering about her behind her back. Thankfully it was only the ones in her year. There seemed to be a small hierarchy; the older students seem to keep to themselves, but at the same time, demanded respect from the younger ones.

_Save for Malfoy. He seems to have all the sixth and seventh years' attention, and we've just started the school year._ Sylvia rolled her eyes to herself. _'Course, it's not surprising; his family is important I suppose. _

Entering the Great Hall, she made her way over to the Slytherin table and sat at the very end away from the others. She glanced over at Gryffindor; most of the students were already there, including Harry and Ron. She waved, trying to catch Harry's attention. Looking up, he finally noticed and gave her a small wave.

"Well, well, getting friendly with Potter, are you?"

_Parkinson._ Sylvia sighed while she turned and faced Pansy.

She sneered down at Sylvia. "Is that why you were standing up for him yesterday?"

_She looks more like she's constipated than threatening._ Sylvia narrowed her eyes. "Go away, Parkinson. I don't have to answer to you."

"I was only going to remind you of what house you're in." Pansy folded her arms. "You might not be completely one of us, but you're not one of them either. Know your place."

"Thanks, I'll remember that. Now can I finish my breakfast in peace?"

Pansy sneered at Sylvia one last time before joining Daphne, Millicent, and Tracy.

Sylvia pulled out of her schedule. "Let's see for today, I have Transfiguration, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. This should be interesting."

After breakfast was finished, Sylvia made her way to class. She caught her breath after climbing several flights of stairs. Entering the Transfiguration classroom, she found a seat near the front of the class. She took out her textbook along with her quill and a bottle of ink. She heard a book bag thump against the seat beside her and turned to see Hermione.

Hermione pulled out her things before sitting down. She met Sylvia's gaze. "Good morning."

"Morning… uh, Hermione, wasn't it?"

"Yes." She nodded. "And you're Sylvia."

"Yeah." Sylvia glanced behind her; she spotted Draco and the other Slytherins sitting a few rows back.

Draco lifted his head, catching her gaze. She saw his eyes shift toward Hermione before returning to her and narrowing.

"Why did you stand up for him?"

Sylvia returned her attention to Hermione. "Sorry, what?"

Hermione opened her textbook. "Harry. Yesterday in Flying class."

Sylvia bit her lip. "Because what Malfoy did was a dirty trick."

Hermione eyed her. "Still, it is a bit strange."

"What is?"

"That you'd do what you did. I mean; you are in Slytherin."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Sylvia folded her arms. "Honestly, you don't see me casting judgment on any of you for the houses the sorting hat put you guys in."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to offend you. But you're house hasn't built the best reputation."

Sylvia sighed. "You don't have to apologize. I know." She met her gaze. "But I'm not that kind of person. Can't you at least give me the benefit of the doubt?"

Hermione nodded. "How about a change of subject then? How are you enjoying your classes so far?"

"They're alright." Sylvia shrugged. "It'll be nice once we finally get to learn some spells in Charms, although, the Flying class did peak my interest. I really want to see what all this Quidditch stuff is about."

"Really? I personally don't like flying." Hermione smiled. "And I've already learned a fair few of the incantations out of the _Standard Book of Spells_. Of course, I already read through all the books for our classes during the summer holiday. Do you know any spells?"

"Well, I managed to only learn one. A jelly-legs jinx."

Hermione stared at her briefly before rolling her eyes. The door creaked open, and McGonagall stepped into the room. She made her way to the front of the class.

"Good Morning, First Years. Welcome to Transfiguration." McGonagall adjusted her glasses, her eyes scanning every student in the room. "Now can anyone tell me what Transfiguration is?"

Immediately, Hermione's hand was raised high in the air; it was also the only hand raised.

McGonagall nodded to her. "Yes, Ms. Granger."

Hermione smiled brightly. "Transfiguration is the art of changing the form and appearance of an object, animal, or person."

A small smile appeared on McGonagall face. "Very good, Ms. Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Sylvia heard some of the other students give a small cheer while some of the others either groaned or whispered. It didn't take much to figure out which houses the voices belonged to.

McGonagall paced back and forth in front of the class. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts." Her tone turned stern. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

The class silently nodded.

"Very well. Now then, is there anyone who can tell me what the different types of Transfiguration are?"

Once again Hermione was the only one with her hand raised.

"Ms. Granger, if you please."

Hermione's face beamed with pride while she lowered her hand. "There are four, Professor. The first is Transformation, which is the altering of the physical features of an object. That includes Human Transfiguration, Switches, and Trans-Species Transformations. The second is Vanishment, which is the process of making objects go into non-existence."

Sylvia stared at her. _When Hermione said she read everything, she wasn't joking._

"Third is Conjuration, which is the opposite of Vanishment; it brings the castor's desired object into physical being." Hermione took a deep breath, her smile never leaving her face. "And lastly, there's Untransfiguration, which returns a transfigured object to its original and proper state."

"Well done, Ms. Granger. Another ten points to Gryffindor." McGonagall looked to the rest of the class. "For today, you are going to be taking notes on some the spells you will be learning this term. Open your books to page five and begin studying chapters one through three. There shall be no talking."

Everyone got out there parchment and quills. The whole room went mostly silent, the only sound being the students' constant scribbling. McGonagall paced back and forth, making sure every student was working before returning to her desk. As she did, she transfigured into a tabby cat and sat on top of the desk.

Sylvia's eyes widened, and she heard a few other student gasps too. _Wow, I wonder what spell that is?_

McGonagall meowed at the class, calling for silence.

Sylvia returned her attention to her notes. _Well, it looks like this class could be interesting. And Professor McGonagall seems like a good teacher. Although; I wonder if she favors the Gryffindors? I wouldn't be surprised since she's their Head of House. _

The door to the classroom opened; and the sound of footsteps came rushing inside.

"Made it."

Sylvia turned her head. Harry and Ron just entered the classroom, and they looked short of breath. She saw Hermione turn around and roll her eyes.

Ron looked at Harry. "Can you image the look on old McGonagall's face if we were late?"

McGonagall jumped off of the table and transfigured back into her human form. She walked over to Harry and Ron with a stern gaze.

Sylvia looked back at her work. _Honestly, why does Ron have to be so rude all the time?_

Soon the class ended, and the students started filing out of the class. Sylvia put her things back into her bag before standing up.

Hermione did so as well. "Are you heading over to Herbology now?"

"Might as well. I don't have anything better to do for our little break." Sylvia headed for the door.

Hermione walked beside her. "So, I've been reading all about Herbology. It's kind of nice having a class that's nearly similar to certain subjects in the muggle world."

Sylvia looked at her. "Are you from the muggle-world?"

She nodded. "Yes, both of my parents are muggles. They work as dentists."

"Dentists?"

"It's a medical profession like a muggle doctor or the healers in this world only they specify in tending to people's teeth."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. "Sounds a bit strange."

"I'm sure in this world, but it's quite normal for muggles." Hermione noticed a few ghosts floating by. "So have you gotten to know your house ghost yet?"

"You mean the Bloody Baron?" Sylvia thought for a minute. "Not really; he seems a bit scary, what with him being covered in blood and all. The older students in my house told us never to ask him why he is."

"Well, our ghost is Nearly Headless Nick; well he prefers to be called _Sir Nicholas_. And then there's the Fat Friar for Hufflepuff and the Grey Lady for Ravenclaw. In fact, from what I read, there are many different ghosts all over the school. And the concept of a ghost is quite fascinating, isn't it? Never would have imagined something like it in the muggle world. Actually, we do believe in the idea of ghosts and souls, but none of it has been clearly confirmed. At least not like this…."

Sylvia started to drift away from the conversation, her attention being drawn to the moving paintings in the huge stairway. _Are they just enchanted to move? But then there are the moving photographs too? And what about a painting of a real person that already exists? Can that move around and talk too?_ She looked back at Hermione who was still talking.

"What would drive them to leave an imprint of themselves behind? Is it something like unfinished business? And why do they haunt the school? And can they move on now? I don't see why they shouldn't. It just seems illogical to want to wander in a dusty castle for the rest of eternity. What do you think, Sylvia?"

They exited the castle and headed out into the courtyard. Sylvia blinked, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight. "Well, I've always believed in the existence of spirits. However, to me they exist to protect things that are sacred to our world, or to be teachers of things long forgotten or unknown to the living. I don't really know much about the ghosts in this castle, but I'm sure their stories would tell more about this school than anything else ever could."

Hermione frowned a little. "I suppose."

They entered the Greenhouse where most of the other students were starting to show up. The interior had vines spread throughout it, and the floor was covered in dirt. There were other greenhouses connected to this one, but the glass was too cloudy to see what was in them. A few rows of chairs sat in the center of the room. Harry and Ron walked inside, the first confused, the second grinning like mad.

Ron put a hand on Harry shoulder. "Come on, Harry, you should be a little more cheerful. They just made you seeker."

"Seeker?" Sylvia furrowed her brow.

"It's a position on the Quidditch team," Hermione whispered.

Sylvia walked over to Harry. "How did you make the team? We're first years, and we just started school."

"McGonagall referred me yesterday; I just received the news from our Captain, Oliver Wood." Harry sighed. "I'm not so sure about this. I've never even played Quidditch before; what if I make a fool of myself?"

"Then it would show the professors the mistake they're making."

Everyone turned their attention to the entrance of the greenhouse. Draco walked over to the group with Crabbe and Goyle behind him.

"Well, aren't you the big star, Potter? I'm sure your captain was happy to get The Boy Who Lived on his team." Draco sneered at him. "I can't wait to see you fall flat on your face." He smirked. "Maybe you'll get another ugly scar from it."

Ron folded his arms. "Jealous, Malfoy?"

Draco scoffed. "Of what, him? Please." His gaze fell on Sylvia. "And you, come with me." He took Sylvia by the arm and dragged her to the right corner of the greenhouse.

"Let go of me, Draco." Sylvia glared at him, while she tried to pull her arm out of his grip.

Draco did so and pushed her into the corner before standing in front of her. She took a step to try and run around him, but Crabbe had moved to stand on Draco's right and Goyle on his left.

Sylvia groaned. "What do you want?"

Draco folded his arms. "I want to know why you've gone mental? That's a mud-blood."

"A what?"

"Granger." Draco gestured behind him toward Hermione. He narrowed his at Sylvia, his tone low. "It's bad enough you keep trailing behind Potter and Weasley, but now a mud-blood too?"

"Leave her alone, Malfoy."

Draco turned around to see Harry behind him. "Mind your own business, Potter. This doesn't concern you."

They glared at each other for what seemed like a minute before everyone heard the door to the green house open. Turning they saw the professor walk inside. Draco glared at Harry before taking Sylvia by the arm again and finding a seat.

Sylvia looked at Harry and gave him an uneasy smile. _Is this how the whole year's going to be?_

….

_Honestly, I can't believe her. What do I have to do to get her to understand?_ Draco strode down the corridor toward the Grand Staircase. Sylvia was reluctantly following behind him while Crabbe and Goyle brought up the rear of their little group. _Father couldn't have been serious about this? It was one thing trying to make friends with Potter, but Hexington is impossible._

They were headed toward the dungeons for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Draco scoffed to himself. Such a rubbish idea for a class, or at least, that's what his father had told him. And as far as Draco was concerned, he was right. Still, the teacher didn't sound all that bad.

_Professor Quirrell, wasn't it?_ _He looked at bit strange at the feast, what with that purple turban and his uncontrollable stuttering_. Draco reached the classroom door and opened it.

The room was very dark and gloomy inside. There were some windows on the left side, but since it was the afternoon, the sun was already resting in the west. A row of torches aligned the walls, allowing some light. Draco stepped in and found a seat in the front. He forced Sylvia to sit beside him while Crabbe and Goyle took the seat behind them. Sylvia opened her textbook and started browsing through it.

He looked at her. "What are you doing?"

Sylvia briefly glanced at him. "Do you really have to ask?" She returned her attention to her book. "I just hope we get to learn some real spells instead of taking notes or practicing hand motions. We get to learn jinxes in this class?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You like jinxes?"

"Well, I think they're rather useful." Sylvia closed her book. "That aside, when are you going to let me make my own friends?"

He met her gaze. "When you find some friends that aren't beneath your status."

"You don't own me, you know." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Stop acting like it."

"I told you before; my father told me to look after you." Draco folded his arms. "It's not my fault that you're so stubborn."

Sylvia turned away. "Whatever."

Quirrell entered the classroom and began instructing everyone.

Draco mildly listened; he glanced over at Harry. _What can I do to keep Sylvia away from him?_ He noticed that Harry was rubbing his forehead. An irritated expression was on the Gryffindor's face, and he seemed to do it the most when Quirrell had his back turned to everyone. _Well, if this class can make Potter uncomfortable, it's good enough for me._ _As for Sylvia, maybe I should write to father about it. I'm sure he'll know what to do with her._

_…._

Several weeks passed by, and it was soon Halloween. All the students were gathered in the Great Hall for a holiday feast. Large jack-o-lanterns floated in the enchanted sky, and the tables were filled piles of desserts and candy. Sylvia was sitting at the end of the Slytherin table away from Draco and the others. She sighed while she bit into an apple.

She had tried to maintain a friendship with Harry and even Hermione, but Draco continued to make it difficult for her. He kept her from sitting next to them in class, and if she tried to sneak off on her own, she'd find Crabbe or Goyle spying on her.

_What do I have to do to get Draco off my back?_ Sylvia sighed again.

She glanced over at Gryffindor table; all of the students were having a good time eating and laughing together. Her gaze shifted to rest of the Slytherins; they were doing the same. However, she had no desire to join them. Why would she when she was forced to be around them everyday? Still, there were some good things about being at Hogwarts. She had taken to Flying Class the most. Then again it was the only class that they really did anything.

_I hate Potions, especially with all of the essays Professor Snape has had us write. I can barely keep up with the potions themselves, but then again I was never that good at cooking either._ Sylvia picked up a large, round lollipop and started slowly licking it. Part of it tasted like pumpkin; the other, however, she couldn't identify. All she could tell was that the black swirls were a little bitter. _Halloween? Such a strange holiday to celebrate. It's nothing like the festivals I used to see._ She shrugged to herself.

"Why so quiet, Sylvia?"

She turned and glanced at Draco. "What do you want now?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I was only wondering why you keep going off to this little corner of yours? You've been doing this for days."

"Maybe it's because I want a little time to myself." Sylvia glared at him. "Or am I not allowed that either?"

The Great Hall doors slammed open and Quirrell rushed inside. "Troll in the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon!"

Everyone's eyes fell on Quirrell, and the room fell silent.

Quirrell whimpered. "Thought you ought to know." His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fainted in the middle of the aisle.

All of the students screamed and started rushing from their seats toward the exit.

_A troll?_ Sylvia gulped while she covered her ears from all the shouting. _Like a Mountain Troll? But why would one be in the castle?_

Dumbledore stood. "Silence!" The entire room went quiet at his command. Dumbledore lowered his voice to a more calm tone. "Everyone will please not panic. Now, prefects will lead their house back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons."

One of the Slytherin prefects called the first years to her, and Sylvia followed the others until they formed a line. They headed out of the Great Hall. Night had already fallen, and there was storm outside, making the corridors dark and ominous. They made their way into the Grand Staircase and started heading downward. An eerie silence fell over everyone while they slowly made their way down the hall. The first years glanced in every direction, hoping they didn't cross the troll's path by accident.

A spark of lightning flashed across the sky, temporarily illuminating the corridor. Sylvia heard Draco scream.

"Why are we returning to our own house? It's in the dungeons where the troll is!"

Sylvia turned around and saw Draco standing behind her. He was shaking while he spoke to Crabbe and Goyle. She chuckled. "Scared, Draco?"

He looked at her and scoffed. "Of course not."

Sylvia smirked. "You don't seem like it to me."

"Who asked you?" Draco pursed his lips.

A loud boom echoed from another part of the castle followed by another crack of lightning from outside. All the first years jumped and huddled together. Draco yelped the loudest and quickly hid behind Goyle.

Draco glanced around them and whimpered. "It's coming for us."

Millicent started to cry. "We're all going to get eaten alive!"

The Slytherin prefects looked back. "Everyone be quiet and stay together. We're almost to the common room."

Soon they reached the trap door; the first years ran inside and secured themselves around the fireplace. The rest of the older Slytherins filed in as well and scattered themselves about the house. The prefects remained at the entrance of the common room, making sure everyone was safely inside.

Pansy sat down on the floor and hugged her arms around her legs. "Do you think the professors will be able to get rid of the troll?"

Millicent shook her head, a frown on her face. "I hope so. I don't want to get eaten."

Tracy leaned against the wall. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Draco sat on one of the couches with Crabbe and Goyle. "Still how did a troll get in here in the first place? Doesn't this school have any barriers or security?"

Sylvia stared out the large windows on the far back wall, drowning out her classmates' conversation. _I hope Harry and the others are okay. Although; this situation does seem a bit strange. Can large monsters like that just roam into the school at will? Either way, we should be safe now._

She glanced around the common room. Some of the students had already retired to their dorms while others were still chatting about the incident. Sylvia spotted an empty table against the far back wall; she stood and started to make her way over there.

"Where are you going?"

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "To study. Now stop bothering me."

Draco sneered at her. "Whatever." He returned his attention to the rest of the group.

Sylvia reached the table and sat down in a nearby chair. She lifted her book-bag onto the table and rummaged through it. She had developed a habit of bringing her textbooks with her to dinner, if for no other reason than to just have an excuse to ignore Draco and the others. Pulling out her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook, she turned to the appropriate page she wanted. It was one of the jinxes Quirrell had been teaching them about: _Curse of the Bogies_.

"_Mucus ad Nauseam_," Sylvia whispered to herself. She pulled out her wand from her robes and started practicing the wand movements she had learned in Charms. After about five plain swishes, she softly muttered the incantation while continuing the motion. When her wrist started feeling sore, she stopped and put her wand away.

Sylvia placed her textbook back into her bag and brought out her book for Herbology. Taking out her supplies, she started writing down notes. Every now and then she heard her other housemates walk by, and it wasn't long before nearly everyone retired to their dorms, leaving the common room in a peaceful silence. Sylvia felt a shadow hovering over her and looked up from her work.

She groaned. "Yes, Draco?"

Draco briefly glanced at the parchment she was writing on before meeting her gaze. "You should probably head to bed. It's getting late."

Sylvia sighed. "I'll be fine. Besides, tomorrow's Saturday."

He leaned against the desk. "Exactly, it's the first Quidditch game of the season. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss it because you slept in too late."

"Fine. I'll head in soon, but I need to finish my notes first." Sylvia dipped her quill in the bottle of ink and continued to write more information on her parchment.

Draco gave her a short nod. "Goodnight then."

"Goodnight." Sylvia glanced up at his retreating form. Her gaze then fell to her book-bag. _Tomorrow._

….

The next morning the students were alerted that it was safe to proceed with school and that the troll had been taken care of. Sylvia made her way to the Great Hall, and while she walked down the corridors, she overheard the nearby students gossiping about what happened the night before.

"Did you hear what Potter did last night?"

"He defeated the Mountain Troll single handedly. Saved that Granger girl."

"That can't be true. He's just a first year."

"Yeah, but he also defeated You-Know-Who; a troll would be a easy for him."

"I heard that little Weasley was with him too."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. _Harry and Ron fought the troll last night? But why? What were they thinking? They could have gotten themselves hurt._

Entering the Great Hall, Sylvia found it to be noisier than outside. Most of it was still about rumors of the troll, but it was also celebration of Quidditch Tournament. The Gryffindors had their banners and flags with them while Slytherin had theirs. Sylvia found her spot at the very end of the Slytherin table and sat down. She got herself a bowl of porridge and some pumpkin juice and started to eat.

_The food is so different here. Then of course, everything is really different here._ Sylvia continued to eat in silence until she heard someone slam their bag down beside her. Turning her head, she saw Draco. _And just when I thought it was going to be a good morning._

Pursing his lips, Draco sent a sneer over to the Gryffindor table. "This is so ridiculous. It's bad enough Perfect Potter made the Quidditch team, but now he's defeating trolls? The show off." He sat down and looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "I can't wait to see him fail today."

Sylvia ate another spoonful of her porridge. _Who am I going to root for? Obviously it should be for my own house, but I really hope Harry does well too._

….

Later that afternoon, everyone was gathered at the large Quidditch pitch outside. Sylvia stood with the rest of her housemates in the Slytherin stands. Each house had a colored coded stand, while the professors had stands that were higher up. Soon both teams were flying around the stadium, and cheers for Gryffindor and Slytherin filled the air.

"_Hello and welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season. Today's game, Slytherin versus Gryffindor_!"

Sylvia took out a pair of binoculars and watched both teams take a formation against each other. She spotted Harry in back of the Gryffindor line. _He looks so nervous._

"_The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps onto the field to begin the game_!"

Madam Hooch stood on the field and opened a large chest. Two black balls shot into the air while a smaller, barely visible, ball fluttered in another direction.

"_The bludgers are up, followed by the golden snitch. Remember, the snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points. The Seeker who catches the snitch ends the game_!"

Madam Hooch stepped in between both teams, a red ball in her hands. She then threw it up into the air.

"_The quaffle is released, and the game begins_!"

Sylvia watched the players fight over the ball she identified to be the quaffle. _Let's see, I remember Madam Hooch explaining some of this in class. The ones who use the quaffle are chasers, and the ones with the sticks are beaters. Then there's the goalies… or wait, I mean keepers. _She found Harry hovering by himself near one of the Ravenclaw stands.

"_Angelina Johnson scores! Ten points for Gryffindor_!"

Sylvia heard her housemates boo around her, and through her binoculars, she could see the other houses cheering. However, she found herself feeling indifferent.

_It's just a bunch of players fighting over a ball in the sky. It's not really that exciting._ Sylvia sighed. _Although, it does make this broom flying stuff look much more fun. In fact, watching them like this almost reminds me of…._ She shook her head. _Don't think about such things. You're just going to make yourself upset._

"_Slytherin takes possession of the quaffle. Bletchley passes it to Captain Marcus Flint_!"

Sylvia returned her attention to the game. She recognized the Slytherin Captain; he was one of the sixth years she had seen Draco talking to all time. _Now, I understand why. Probably was trying to persuade him to join the team._

Flint threw the quaffle at Gryffindor's middle goal post, but their Keeper blocked it. The quaffle went flying and was caught by Angelina. It was passed between her and the other chasers until they got to opposite side of the field, and Angelina shot it straight through one of Slytherin's goals.

"_Another ten points to Gryffindor_!"

A second round of boos and hisses erupted from the Slytherin stands. The quaffle was in the hands of one of the Slytherin Chasers, but when he threw it at one of Gryffindor's goals, the Keeper caught it.

Sylvia just continued to nonchalantly watch. _Wow, the Gryffindor team is really good. _

However, took one of the Beaters' sticks and knocked the Gryffindor Keeper of his broom with a bludger. The keeper fell down to the ground, his broomstick slowing his plummet. Everyone in the Slytherin stands started to cheer, but Sylvia could only gasp.

"That's cheating!" Sylvia frowned. "He can't do that!"

Draco looked at her. "Of course he can. Now maybe we can win some of our points back."

With the Gryffindor's keeper out of commission, the Slytherin chasers were able to score very easily. They then went after Angelina managed to trap her within the tapestry of one of the stands. She tumbled down under the fabric and landed on the ground unconscious. The cheers from the Slytherin stands grew even louder.

Sylvia just shook her head. _So is this what our house is about? Cheating and using dirty hand tricks in order to win?_ She felt Draco tap her shoulder. "What?"

Draco pointed up, a wide smirk on his face. "Oi, look at Potter."

Sylvia directed her attention to where he was pointing and her eyes widened. Harry's broomstick had gone haywire and was trying to buck him off of it. Sylvia looked at her housemates. Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and the other first years were laughing at Harry. The broomstick continued to shake him until he was hanging from it with one hand.

Sylvia dropped her binoculars, leaving it to loosely hang against her chest. She put her hands to mouth. "He's going to fall!"

Pansy giggled. "Good, let him."

Draco nodded. "It'll teach him to stop showing off."

However, just when it looked like Harry was going to drop like his teammates, the broom stopped moving. He quickly mounted it and started chasing after the snitch.

Sylvia smiled. _Yes. He's safe._

Harry and the Slytherin seeker were soon neck in neck, both trying to knock each other out of the way while they chased the fluttering sphere. Out of nowhere, they sharply swooped straight down to the ground.

Crabbe pointed at them. "Eh, look at that. Look at that."

Draco smirked. "This is it, Potter's done for."

Sylvia bit her lip. _Don't be stupid, Harry. Pull up. Pull up._

However, it was the Slytherin seeker who pulled up before he got too close to the ground. Harry, on the other hand, turned his broomstick up, merely missing the ground by a few inches. He rode the broom close to the ground and slowly stood on top of it. Reaching his hand out, he leaned forward. But his weight caused the broomstick to tilt, and he went tumbling forward onto the ground.

"Harry?" Sylvia barely muttered out. Taking her binoculars, she pinpointed him on the grassy part of the pitch. Harry stood up, but looked like he was about to throw up. Squinting her eyes, she saw something golden fall out of his mouth.

"_He's got the Snitch! Harry Potter receives one hundred and fifty points for catching the Snitch_! _Gryffindor wins_!"

Draco gasped. "What?"

The other Slytherins started to boo and scowl while the Gryffindors were cheering louder than ever. Harry stood in the middle of the pitch, holding the snitch up high for all to see. Sylvia saw his bright smile and couldn't help but cheer herself.

She pumped her fist into the air. "Go, Harry! You did it! Whoohoo!"

"You are not actually cheering him on, are you?" Draco glared at her.

Sylvia paused and turned. Draco, Pansy, and some of the other Slytherins within earshot were staring at her with seething eyes. She felt her heart skip a beat. _Great, now you've done it._ She smiled sheepishly while retreating backwards. "Well, I…." Glancing behind herself, she saw opening in the crowd, and before Draco could say anything else, she quickly ran for the stairs.

Making it outside to the field, Sylvia searched for the Gryffindors. She found several students as well as the team members heading for the castle. Among them, she spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Sylvia ran over to them. "Harry! Hermione!"

Harry was the first to look back. Seeing her, he smiled and stopped walking. Hermione, Ron, and two older boys, who looked related to Ron, noticed Harry's pause in stride and turned around. Sylvia stopped in front of them and caught her breath.

Hermione looked at her. "Oh, hi, Sylvia."

"Hi." Briefly shifting her gaze over everyone, Sylvia noticed the two older boys were identical and were also dressed in the same red and gold Quidditch robes as Harry. She smiled. "You guys did well, despite my house cheating the way they did."

Harry smiled. "Uh, thanks."

Ron was still frowning at her as usual while Hermione silently nodded. The twins both raised an eyebrow at her, but their expressions seemed more curious than distasteful.

"Look, here, George, that little Slytherin is complimenting us," one of the twins said.

George nodded. "Yes, certainly don't see that everyday, Fred."

"Sylvia!"

Cringing, Sylvia slowly turned around and saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle heading her way.

Draco sneered at Harry. "Well, I guess you just keep getting lucky, Potter. Trolls, Quidditch, I wonder what's next? Hopefully something that shows the school just how pathetic you really are."

Ron scoffed at him. "Don't be a sore loser, Malfoy."

Ignoring him, Draco's eyes snapped to Sylvia. "And you. How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from them?"

"And when are you going to learn that I don't have to listen to you?' Sylvia glared at him. "Now either you back off and leave me alone, or I'll…."

Draco stepped forward; he was slightly taller than Sylvia and managed to menacingly tower over her. "Or you'll what?"

Sylvia glanced around. There were no professors or prefects nearby. _It's either now or never._ She grabbed her wand from the pocket of her robes. Quickly swishing and flicking her wand, she said, "_Mucus ad Nauseam!" _

A green light shot from her wand and struck Draco dead on. He staggered backwards, his hands covering his face. Crabbe and Goyle just stood there dumbfounded while their leader broke into a fit of sneezes. After the fifth one, Draco pulled his hands away from his face. A long string of snot stretched out from his nose, and he continued to sneeze.

"Ugh, Hexington!" Draco sneezed again. "You!"

Sylvia folded her arms. "That's what you get for being a prat."

Draco ran off in the direction of the castle with Crabbe and Goyle following behind him. Sylvia heard laughter and turned to see all of the boys laughing. Hermione just shook her head.

Sylvia put her wand away. "Uh, why don't we head back inside?"

The twins were the first to walk away, leaving Sylvia and the trio alone.

Hermione frowned. "Why did you do that? You could have gotten in trouble. Not to mention that was utterly disgusting."

Ron snickered. "Like bloody hell it was. Rotten git deserved it." He looked Sylvia. "Still, why would you do that? You're a Slytherin. Malfoy's one of your own."

Sylvia put her hands on her hips. "Yes, Slytherin is my house, but that doesn't mean I agree with the other members in it. I don't see why that's so hard for you to understand."

Ron wrinkled his nose and blinked. He glanced at Harry, who was still holding back a few laughs, then to Hermione. He walked over to Sylvia. "Well, maybe I was wrong. I mean anyone who'd stand up to Malfoy like that can't all bad."

"Good enough." Sylvia smiled. "So are you guys going to celebrate with the rest of your house?"

"Yeah." Harry thought for a second. "Although, I was wondering if you'd like to meet us in the library a little later? About an hour."

Sylvia nodded. "Alright. I'm sure I can dodge my fellow Slytherins until then."

"Great. See you then." Harry briefly waved before walking away. Hermione and Ron waved as well.

Sylvia lowered her hand after waving and smiled to herself. _I did it. I actually stood up to Draco. Hopefully, he'll leave me alone for good.  
_


	4. Her Place

Chapter Four:

Her Place

An hour later, Sylvia made her way to the library. Luckily, she hadn't run into Draco or the others. She figured he was still in the hospital wing. Opening the door, she entered the library. It was fairly large; she could see rows upon rows of bookshelves. There were already other students quietly studying at the tables.

"Can I help you, dear?"

Turning, Sylvia saw an elderly woman sitting behind a desk. _That must be Madam Pince._ She shook her head. "No, I think I'll be fine."

Madam Pince kept a stern glance and briefly nodded. "Very well." She returned to her work.

Sylvia continued through the library. Looking around, she could see some of the books floating through the air and returning to their proper spots on the shelves. She then passed a gated area; there were bookshelves behind, so it still seemed to be a part of the library. Glancing up, she saw a sign that read: _Restricted Section_.

_Wonder what they're keeping back there? Maybe it's more advanced books that only the older students can look at._ Sylvia shrugged to herself and walked away.

"Oh, Sylvia, there you are."

She spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting beside a windowsill behind a large bookshelf. She made her way over to them and sat down in a chair. "What did you guys want to meet here for?"

The trio shared a glance between them, making Sylvia furrow her brow.

Hermione bit her lip. "Well, first, you have to promise that you won't tell anyone else."

_Okay…._ Sylvia slowly nodded. "Uh, sure, of course."

Ron narrowed his eyes, his voice lowering to a whisper. "We mean it. You can't let any of your housemates find out."

"Alright, I get it. I won't tell anyone." Sylvia folded her arms. "Now what is it?"

Harry met her gaze. "I was wondering if you could tell us any information about Snape?"

"What for?" Sylvia saw Hermione give Harry a look she couldn't read.

Harry sighed. "We think something bad is going to happen in this school. Something that involves Snape. You're in his house; have you seen him do anything suspicious?"

"Well, sure Potions is a hard class, and he does tend to be very serious and strict, but I don't think he would be up to anything bad. I mean; he's a professor." Sylvia shifted her glance between the three of them. Why were they even asking about Snape in the first place? And why would they think something bad was going to happen in the school? This didn't seem right to her.

Hermione bit her lip again. "Look, we think that Snape is after Harry. Remember when Harry's broom started acting strange during the match?"

Sylvia nodded. "Yeah."

"It was because Snape was jinxing the broom. If I hadn't distracted him, he might've killed Harry," Hermione said.

Sylvia blinked a few times before slowly shaking her head. "What? Snape wouldn't…that couldn't be."

Ron looked at her. "It's true. We saw it."

_This is mental._ Sylvia looked at Harry. "And why would Snape want to kill you?"

"He's the Boy Who Lived. Why else?" Ron groaned. "Look, do you know anything about Snape or not?"

"I already told you what I know." Sylvia furrowed her brow. Once again, the trio seemed to be shifting and glancing at each other awkwardly. Like they were hiding something. It would make sense; the story they were giving her wasn't piecing together quite right. She wanted to press the matter further, but decided against it. She didn't want to come across as nosy to them.

Hermione took out one of her textbooks. "Well, that settles it then. Lets focus on something else."

Harry and Ron glanced at each other, silently agreeing.

"Fair enough." Sylvia looked at Harry. "And since we're asking questions, why were you fighting the troll last night?"

"Ron and I were trying to save Hermione. She was in the girl's bathroom, and it's lucky we found her since the troll was there as well."

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. "And how did you fight it off? We've barely learned any spells this term."

Ron gave her a smug grin. "Well, _I_ managed to knock the troll out with its own club."

"Really?" Sylvia sighed. "Hopefully nothing else dangerous happens this year."

Harry smiled. "So, Sylvia, how are you faring in classes so far?"

"Um, let's see, at the moment I like Charms, Flying Class, and Defense Against the Dark Arts the most. Although, I kind of only like Defense Against the Dark Arts because of the jinxes." Sylvia smiled sheepishly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Figures."

She shrugged. "I'd like it more if Quirrell wasn't teaching it, though. I mean he stutters so much that I never want to sit in the front row."

Ron snickered. "Now that you mention it, I ended up stuck in the front middle in class the other day. By the end of the lecture, half of my parchment was already soaked. Which reminds me. Hermione, do you have your notes from Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Hermione looked about from her textbook. "Yes." She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"So that I can copy from it of course."

Hermione frowned. "And what makes you think I'm going to let you cheat?"

"It's not cheating. I just said my notes got ruined."

"Your notes are not ruined. You're just making that story up because you weren't paying attention in class."

Ron started to pout. "Come on, Hermione please."

Hermione eyed Ron for a few seconds before sighing. "Fine. I'll give them to you once we get back to the common room."

Sylvia giggled to herself. It was the first time she felt like she was among friends. After all, this is what friends did, right? Talking, joking around, it felt nice. "Anyway. You were really amazing out there on the Quidditch pitch, Harry."

He smiled. "Thanks. It was very exciting. I've never won anything in my life before. Or even participated in sports for that matter. My aunt and uncle never let me do very much. Actually, they just kept me locked away and hidden. I probably would've never come to Hogwarts if Hagrid hadn't come to get me."

"Hagrid?" Sylvia thought for a minute. "Oh, you mean that really large man that was with us on the boats?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, he showed me around the wizarding world and helped me buy my supplies. He's really nice; you should come with us to visit him sometime."

"Maybe, if I have a chance." Sylvia rested her hand against her head and glanced out of the window. She had never given much thought about Hagrid. She remembered he was the grounds caretaker. His appearance was very gruff, but he seemed to be nice to Harry, so maybe he wasn't that bad.

Ron looked at her. "So, Sylvia, what's the deal with you and Malfoy?"

Sylvia unknowingly flinched. "It's complicated."

Hermione set her textbook down. "Complicated or not, he has no right to treat you the way he does. You should tell one of the professors."

Sylvia sighed. "I told you; it's complicated. Besides, I already handled the prat myself." Glancing back out of the window, she saw that the sun was starting the set. "Anyway, it's getting late. I should probably head back to my common room." She stood up. "It was nice talking with you guys."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded and waved. Sylvia left the library and made her way downstairs.

_That stuff they said about Snape can't be true, can it? He never seemed that bad to me. And wanting to kill a student in front of the whole school?_ Sylvia shivered. _The Headmaster would know if something suspicious was going on, wouldn't he?_ _I don't really know what to think about it all. I guess I'll just worry about it later. _

….

Snow covered Hogwarts and the surrounding grounds, turning it into a winter wonderland. The first term had come and gone, and soon it was time for the students to return home for the Christmas holiday.

Sylvia woke up early. Glancing around, she saw that the rest of her dorm mates were still asleep and decided to take advantage of it. Getting up, she started packing her things. _I can't believe the first term has gone by this quickly. I hope I did all right on the tests. Guess I won't really find out until I come back. _

She shuddered a bit while closing her trunk. She then left to take a bath and change into her robes. Once she was done, she made her way out of the dorm. A Christmas tree and few decorations had been added to the common room. She glanced at the tree; it sparkled with colors of green, silver, red, blue, and gold. A star rested on the very top, shining brightly for all to see.

_It's quite beautiful, but I still don't think I'll ever understand these holidays._ She left the common room and made her way upstairs toward the Great Hall. The rest of the school was covered in decorations; some were the same shiny objects she had seen on the tree while others were small, pine branches covered in colorful ribbons.

Finally reaching the Great Hall, Sylvia headed inside. The Hall was lined with Christmas trees that were larger than the one she had seen in her common room. She spotted a few other students, including Harry and Ron. They were sitting opposite of each other at one of the tables. Stepping closer, Sylvia saw that they were playing some type of game.

"Good Morning, Harry. Ron." She rested her trunk against the bench and sat beside Harry.

Ron glanced at her. "Morning."

Harry turned. "Morning, Sylvia." He smiled. "Happy Christmas."

She nodded. "Happy Christmas." She eyed the game that was in-between the two boys. It was a flat board that had a black and white checkered pattern on it. Resting on the spaces were various shaped pieces. "What are you guys playing?"

Ron removed one of the crumbled pieces from the board. "Wizard's Chess."

"Really? How do you play?"

He raised his brow. "Honestly, how is it that you don't know anything about the wizarding world? You told us you were pure-blood."

She sighed. "And I also told you I wasn't raised here."

"Yes, but according to Harry, you don't know much about the muggle world either. We even had to explain Christmas to you."

"Look, I just grew up in a different place that doesn't celebrate these types of things." She glanced at the board. "Although, I will admit that this game does remind me of Pai Sho."

Harry met her gaze. "Pai what?"

A blush came to Sylvia's face. "Uh… never mind."

Harry returned his attention to the board. "Knight to E-five."

Sylvia watched as the white knight from Harry's side magically slid over to Ron's side of the board. _Wow. The pieces move by themselves._

Ron eyed the board. "Queen to E-five."

The red queen moved across the board and struck the knight with her chair, shattering it to pieces.

"That's totally barbaric!"

The three of them turned to see Hermione standing beside Ron. She was staring at the chessboard, a grimace on her face.

Ron chuckled. "That's a wizard's chess." He eyed her trunk. "I see you've packed."

Hermione glanced over his dressed down attire. "I see you haven't."

"Change of plans. My parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there."

Sylvia smiled. After Ron started accepting her more as friend, she learned that he had a rather large family. There were the twins Fred and George; they were third years. Then there was Percy, who was a fifth year. She had seen him a few times since he was one of the school prefects. There were two older brothers who had graduated already, and then there was Ron's younger sister, who was still living at home.

_Draco always talks about how poor Ron and his family is, but I think they're rather lucky._ Sylvia held back a sigh, feeling homesick again. She looked at Harry. "What about you? How come you're not going home?"

Harry frowned. "I'd rather stay here than go back to my aunt and uncle."

_Oh, that's right. He had said that they weren't very kind to him. Still, at least he has a family to go to._ Sylvia stood up. "Is it time for the train to leave yet, Hermione?"

"Almost, so we'd better get going." She turned her attention to Harry and Ron. "And since you two are staying behind, you can continue looking up information about you-know-what."

Harry nodded. "I was thinking about checking the library again."

Ron groaned. "We've looked a hundred times."

"Not in the restricted section." Hermione smirked. "Happy Christmas. Come on, Sylvia."

Sylvia followed her after giving Harry and Ron one last wave. _What are these three up to?_ The more she started to hang around the trio, the less they seemed like regular students. Everyone else just went to class and went about their average daily lives. But Harry, Hermione, and Ron seemed to be attracted to danger. First it was the troll, then it was them accusing Snape of attempted murder, and now they looked like they were investigating something.

She looked at Hermione. "What is going on?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione glanced at her.

Sylvia frowned. "You know exactly what I mean. There's something going on in this school, isn't there?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, of course not. Why would you think something like that?"

"Because…" Sylvia lowered her voice to a whisper. "You guys keep asking me questions about Snape, and you just told Harry and Ron to go into the restricted section of the library. I'm pretty sure you three aren't just trying to get ahead on your assignments for next term."

"Sylvia…" Hermione bit her lip. "Look, we're not quite sure what's going on ourselves, I mean we have a few hunches, but— I feel that it would be better if we didn't get too many people caught into it."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. "Do the professors know about this?"

"We don't know, but we haven't brought it to their attention yet except for Hagrid. And he doesn't quite believe us."

They followed the large crowd of the students outside. Sylvia cringed, the bitter cold suddenly hitting her face. She kept an eye out for her housemates, not wanting a confrontation at the moment. Up ahead, she saw the students boarding black carriages that were being pulled by some strange creatures. They looked like black, skeletal horses.

Sylvia boarded one of the carriages with Hermione and a few other Gryffindor boys. One of them she recognized as Neville. Once the carriages were boarded, the horse-like creatures started pulling them across the Black Lake, which was frozen enough to maintain their weight.

Sylvia stared at the creatures. "Don't you think those horses pulling the carriage are a bit weird, Hermione?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "There's nothing pulling the carriage. It's pulling itself."

The other boys also looked confused and just stared at Sylvia strangely.

_Huh, how can they not see that thing?_ It didn't seem like it was her imagination. Because no matter how many times she blinked, the creature didn't go away. Sylvia, however, remained silent, not in the mood to argue.

It wasn't long before they reached Hogsmeade and were riding home on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione and Sylvia were sharing a compartment together. Hermione was engrossed in one of her books. Sylvia, on the other hand, simply stared out the window. With every movement the train made toward London, her mood grew grimmer and grimmer.

"Sylvia, are you listening?"

Blinking, she returned her attention to Hermione. "Sorry, faded out. What did you say?"

Hermione sighed. "I asked you where you would be staying over holiday?"

Sylvia glanced away. "Well…."

The compartment door slammed open. Neville stumbled in, his legs locked together. He tripped and fell flat on his face on the floor.

Hermione gasped. "Neville, are you all right?"

Sylvia quickly helped Neville to his feet. "Malfoy used the leg-locking curse again. Neville, you have to learn to stand up to him." She pulled out her wand and unlocked his legs with the counter-curse. She smiled at her handiwork. Jinxes and the counter-curses for them had become her forte more than any of the other subjects. _Although, next term I do want ask Madam Hooch to train me more with flying._

"I know." Neville stood up and dusted himself off. "But he caught me off-guard."

"All right, I'll deal with him for you." Sylvia smiled. "Just make sure to get back to your compartment without any more accidents."

"Okay. Thanks." Neville returned the smile and walked back into the hallway.

Hermione looked at her. "Do you think you'll get Malfoy leave him alone?"

Sylvia sat back down. "I'll try."

The train reached platform nine and three quarters, and the students rushed out to meet their families. Hermione and Sylvia walked out together and stopped on the edge of the platform.

"By the way, you never answered me before… where are staying? Where's your family from?"

"London, of course." Sylvia turned away.

Hermione furrowed her brow. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all. I have to go now." She flashed a big smile before walking away. "Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"Happy Christmas, Sylvia." Hermione left herself.

Sylvia paused in her stride and turned. She watched Hermione walk over to a man and woman. Their clothing was very plain compared to the other adults around them. Their smiles brightened as Hermione approached them, and the woman bent down and enveloped her in a loving embrace. Sylvia sighed, knowing that she would not receive the same greeting. It was far too late for that.

"There you are, Hexington."

Sylvia cringed at the voice. She was delaying the inevitable, and now she had no choice but to deal with it. Turning, she saw Draco standing beside her. "What do you want?"

Draco sneered at her. "I'd bet you'd be happier if I was Granger or that Potter, you muggle-loving traitor. You're a disgrace to the name Slytherin."

Sylvia glared at him. "And since when did it cross your mind that I care what you or anyone else thinks about me? Because honestly, I don't give a rat's arse."

"Now, now, is that proper language for a young lady to use?"

Sylvia and Draco looked up to see Lucius standing in front of them.

Draco smiled. "Hello, Father."

Sylvia scrunched her nose up and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius looked down at Sylvia with a faint smile. "You still haven't answered the question, my dear."

Sylvia sighed. "No, it was not proper language for me to use, sir."

"Fine, though I suppose it can't be helped. Draco has told me all about your mishaps at Hogwarts. I'm sure spending some time in a more _civilized_ setting will clear your attitude. Now come, we don't have any time to waste here."

Lucius led them to the exit of the platform, which was large pillar. They ran through it and appeared in the muggle train station know as Kings Cross. Lucius and Draco suddenly picked up their pace, and judging by the sneers on their faces, Sylvia could tell they wanted to get as far away from the muggles as possible. Once out of unwanted sight, Lucius took Draco by the hand. Draco held out his hand to Sylvia, and she reluctantly took it. With the sound of a small pop, they apparated to Malfoy Manor, and appeared in the entrance hall.

Sylvia quickly let go of Draco's hand and held her stomach. _Ugh, I hate apparition._

A house elf came to take Draco and Sylvia's things.

Lucius glanced down at the two of them. "Dinner will be ready later. Meanwhile, Draco, you can show Ms. Hexington to her room."

Draco nodded. "Yes, Father." He walked off in another direction with Sylvia following close behind.

They walked through the long hall. Sylvia looked around. Malfoy Manor was certainly large and grand. There were paintings, tapestries, and old artifacts hanging everywhere. Sylvia noticed a large set of doors. "What room is this?"

"That's my father's study." Draco glanced at her. "And it's off limits."

Sylvia eyed the doors briefly before following Draco again.

They finally reached their destination, and Draco gestured toward the doors. "Here's your room. It's right across from mine. Just knock if you need anything or ask our house elf, Dobby."

Sylvia entered her room and turned around. "Like I would ask you for anything." She slammed the door in his face.

Draco walked away, muttering under his breath.

Heading over to her bed, Sylvia slumped on top of it. _I can't believe I have to stay here. I wish I could just leave. I don't care if I would be alone, at least I would be away from these people._ She glanced out the window. "There's still some time before dinner."

Her mind drifted back to the study room. Nodding to herself, she stood up from the bed. Creaking open the doors, she saw that Draco was gone. She stepped out and quietly made her way to Lucius' study. Once she found herself at the study doors, she glanced around once more to make sure the coast was clear before heading inside. The room was just as fancy and elegant looking as the rest of the rooms. She saw a large bookshelf on the far back wall. Walking over to it, Sylvia examined the books. The titles were unfamiliar to her and seemed to be about dark magic. She pulled one of the books down and started skimming through it.

"Now I specifically remember my son telling you that this room was off limits."

Sylvia turned around to see Lucius and glared at him. "You of all people should know my disregard for rules, _Lucius_." Her tone was venomous, and she steepened her gaze. "You should give up the charade; I know it was you."

Lucius blinked, his face blank. "What ever do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. You tricked me. I shouldn't be under your custody." Sylvia pointed at him. "I don't know what your motive is, but I'm going to figure it out."

Lucius sneered at her. "I wouldn't waste such meaningless time, if I were you. Instead, you should be practicing what it means to be a proper pure-blood witch."

Sylvia scowled. "No."

"Then allow me to do it for you." Lucius pulled out his wand. "_Crucio_!"

Sylvia fell to the floor in agony. Her body wriggled and writhed. It felt like she was being electrocuted, and she let out an ear-piercing scream for it to stop. Lucius merely stood by and watched, an evil smirk crossing his features.

He waved his wand again, and the curse lifted from Sylvia's body. She lay there, curled in a ball, her feeble voice whimpering from the aftershock. Lucius loomed over her, a small chuckle escaping him. She looked so weak, so pathetic. With the tip of his foot, he rolled Sylvia on her back, forcing her to face him.

Lucius pointed his wand at her. "Associating with those filth you call friends and betraying your blood? Disgraceful. You will be obedient, and when you return to school, you will behave like a proper pure-blood should. Do you understand?"

Sylvia peered through her eyelids and weakly breathed, "Whatever you say, just don't use that spell again."

"Good girl." Lucius smirked. "Now dinner should be ready soon. And get yourself ready, you're a mess."

Sylvia heard his footsteps stride out of the room. She slowly brought herself to her feet. Her entire body still stung; she looked down at herself. Her clothes and skin were completely undamaged. She furrowed her brow. She was sure she had been shocked with lightning or something.

_Had the pain really been in my head?_ She finally looked toward the door.

It was still open, almost waiting for her to leave. She made her way out of the study, and the second she stepped into the hallway, the door slammed shut behind her. She jumped, her eyes darting to either side of the hall. Not seeing anyone, she sighed and returned to her room. Making her way there, she spotted the little house elf. Apparently, it was common for old, pure-blood families to have them as servants. Her parents even had one; the elf was still living in the family manor.

Still, this particular elf looked abused. _Didn't Draco say his name was Dobby or something?_ She was certain that the Malfoys had no qualms about torturing the poor thing. Dobby stared at her and bowed. She simply nodded, unsure of what else to say or do, and continued to her room. Reaching her door, she opened it.

"Where have you been?"

Looking up, she saw Narcissa standing inside of the room. Sylvia had never met her before, but after examining the woman's pale, narrow features and platinum blonde hair, she was more than sure this was Draco's mother.

Sylvia stepped back. "Well, I…."

"Never mind." Narcissa roughly took her by the hand and guided her into the room. "Now come on, I need to get you ready for dinner." She pushed Sylvia in front of a large, full-length mirror. Flicking her wand, the closet door opened and a small dress came floating out of it. "I had done some shopping for you. Not too much since you might grow over the next couple of years." She sneered, her pointed nose slightly curling as though she had just smelled something disgusting. "Of course, I'm not sure you deserve such lovely things after your recent behavior."

_Yes, she's definitely Draco's mother._ Sylvia remained silent. After her exchange with Lucius, she didn't want to risk getting cursed again.

"Although, I suppose you can't be completely to blame, given your upbringing. Reared by muggles. I couldn't imagine." With her wand, Narcissa retrieved a pair of white stockings and a pair of light blue shoes from the one of the dressers. "Now don't dawdle. Get dressed."

Sylvia quickly changed her clothes. The dress reached just below her knees and was mostly white except for the sleeves, which were also light blue. Lacy, white ruffles adorned the neck, edges of the sleeves and the bottom of the dress. She frowned. It wasn't something she would have picked herself.

Narcissa examined Sylvia's reflection. "Now let's see. What to do with your hair?" She undid the ponytail it had been in, and then went to remove the blue beads in the front.

Sylvia frowned. "Wait."

"What is it?"

"Could you please leave the beads, Mrs. Malfoy? I always have them in my hair."

"All the more reason to remove them. They look absolutely gaudy." Narcissa yanked the beads from her hair and threw them to the floor. She then brushed Sylvia's hair back into a tight, high ponytail and tied it with a large, blue bow. Flicking her wand again, she made the hair texture of the _tail_ change from crimped and wavy to smooth and curly. She smiled. "There that's much better."

Sylvia hid her frown, her eyes glued to the beads that had been tossed aside. Turning, she gave Narcissa a slight bow. "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. The dress is very lovely."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

She blinked. "Uh, bowing… it's…."

"Exactly. Young ladies do not bow. We curtsy." Narcissa demonstrated the proper movement for Sylvia perfectly, despite that fact that she was wearing a green, pencil skirt. "Now you."

Sylvia gripped the edges of her dress with her fingertips. She crossed her legs, her balance shaky, and slightly lowered her head while bending her knees.

"Fair. We'll practice it more later." Narcissa frowned. "You're going to be more work than I thought. Now come on. To the dining room."

Sylvia followed Narcissa to the dining room. When they reached it, Sylvia glanced around. It was just as glamorous as the rest of the manor. Decorations hung on the wall, and a large fireplace warmed the room. There was a long table in the center; Lucius was sitting at the head of it while Draco was sitting at his right.

Lucius was the first to look up. "Narcissa, dear, there you are."

"Forgive me, Lucius. I had to get Sylvia ready." Narcissa took her seat at Lucius' left while Sylvia sat beside her.

Lucius glanced down at Sylvia. "Yes, she is quite the handful, isn't she?"

Sylvia shrunk back from his gaze and focused her attention on Draco. Unlike her, he got to wear a fairly simple black suit. He narrowed his eyes at her before looking back at Lucius, who began eating. Sylvia looked at the table. She had been so busy trying to make herself as invisible as possible; she hadn't noticed any of the food. Most of the dishes were no different from what she had seen at Hogwarts, but there were a few different ones.

Narcissa smiled. "Tuck in, Draco. I'm sure you're famished after such a long trip."

Lucius turned to Draco. "You're getting perfect marks at school, I presume?"

Draco paled a little. "Well, mostly, Father."

He raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?"

"Well…" He bit his lip. "There is another student that's the top of the class."

Sylvia noticed Draco's expression and smiled. "He means Hermione, Mr. Malfoy. She's the smartest one in our class."

"Hermione Granger?" Narcissa furrowed her brow. "I believe you mentioned her in one of your letters, didn't you, Draco?"

"Yes, Mother. Her surname is a bit fooling, but she's definitely a mud-blood." Draco sneered at the last word.

Lucius frowned. "And this mud-blood has managed to beat you at the highest marks in your year?"

Sylvia saw Draco pale even more than before. She did her best to hold back a laugh.

"But, father, you don't understand, she knows everything. Plus, she's in Gryffindor, and all of the professors favor her. Well, except for Professor Snape."

Sylvia quietly ate. _That's because Snape hates all of the Gryffindors, especially Harry. But does he really hate him enough to try and kill him? Harry, Hermione, and Ron want to keep this a secret, but what if they're right? The other adults could find out too late._

Narcissa looked at her. "And what about you, Sylvia? I'm sure all of this must be overwhelming since you didn't grow up in our world."

"I've caught up as best as I can." Sylvia set her fork down. "Some subjects are still harder than others."

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "How is it possible to come from the same background as that mud-blood, and yet she surpasses you? Especially since, according to Draco, she was one of the students you have befriended?"

Sylvia gulped. "Well, yes. I have, but…."

"Disappointing." Lucius took a sip from his wine. "I expect better of both of you."

Draco nodded. "Yes, Father."

Sylvia noticed Lucius' gaze lingering on her a little longer. She lowered her head. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy."

After dinner, Sylvia and Draco were sent back to their rooms. She entered hers and couldn't have been happier. All she wanted to do was lock herself inside until it was time to go back to school. Feeling eyes on her, she turned to see Draco standing in the doorway.

"What?"

Draco folded his arms. "Why did you bring up the mud-blood during dinner?"

Sylvia glared at him before smirking. "And pass up a chance to embarrass you in front of your parents? I don't think so."

He snared at her. "So where did you wander off to before? My mother was looking for you."

She turned away. "None of your business."

"Whatever. Mother told me to give you a tour of the manor tomorrow, so you won't get lost. Don't oversleep." Draco left the room and closed the door.

"Great." Sylvia sighed.

Looking toward the floor, she spotted the beads and quickly picked them up. She knew she'd have to hide them from Narcissa if she wanted to keep them. And she had to; it was one of the few things she had left.


	5. Caught In The Cross-Roads

Chapter Five:

Caught In The Cross-Roads

Sylvia awoke to the sunlight shining in her face. After spending several months with only the reflection of the Black Lake, the brightness made her groan and flip the pillow over her head.

"Now, now, I'll have none of that. Get up."

Peering over the covers, Sylvia saw Narcissa standing beside the bed. _I guess I overslept._ She slowly sat up. "Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Good morning." Narcissa made her way over to her dresser. "Now come, come. It's already after seven, and you're going to be late for breakfast."

Sylvia slid out of bed and let Narcissa lead her to the bathroom. After a quick bath and a change into a new dress, they joined Draco and Lucius in the dining hall. This time Sylvia made note to remain silent in Lucius' presence. Instead, she blanked out the table conversation and focused on eating.

She sighed to herself. _It's still going to be two weeks until I can go back to Hogwarts. I don't think I can survive that long. I wonder what Harry and Ron are up to? I'm sure Hermione is having a fun time with her parents._

Narcissa gave Lucius a quick peck on the cheek. "Have a good day at work, dear." She waited for him to leave the room before turning her attention to Draco and Sylvia. "I have some of my own errands to take care of. Draco already knows the behavior I expect in this household, but I shall repeat them for you, Sylvia. There is to be no running, loud noises, roughhousing, or experimenting with magic. The study and the top floor are off limits."

Sylvia saw Narcissa narrow her eyes at her. _Lucius must have told her._

"You are allowed to _respectfully_ play in the courtyard and the gardens, but you must stay within the gates." Narcissa shifted her gaze between the two of them. "Is that understood?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, Mother."

Sylvia nodded as well. "Yes, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa walked out of the room, leaving Sylvia and Draco alone.

Draco stood from the table. "Might as well get this over with. Come on."

Sighing, Sylvia slid out of her chair and followed him. They exited the dining hall and stepped into another large room. Pausing in her stride, Sylvia looked around.

Draco gestured to the room. "This is the…."

"Drawing room." She pointed ahead. "And right over there is the entryway to the cellar."

He raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

She shrugged and looked away. "I've passed through here before."

Draco frowned at her. "And are there any other rooms you've already seen before I waste my time?"

"No." She walked over to the window and glanced outside. "Hey, it's snowing. Can we see the courtyard next?"

He nodded. "Yes, but we'll have to get our coats first."

Returning to their rooms, they put on some extra garments for the weather. After they were properly dressed, they headed back downstairs and left out of the front door.

Sylvia stood on the front steps and looked around. A long, gravel road stretched all the way to the wrought-iron gates. Bordering the road was a tall hedge. At the moment, everything was coated in a thick layer of snow, and more continued to fall from the gray clouds above.

"This is the courtyard. We usually have peacocks roaming the hedges, but it's too cold for them right now." Draco huddled his scarf closer to his neck, a puff of smoke escaping his lips.

She raised an eyebrow. "Peacocks?"

He shrugged. "Father likes them." He gestured to the right. "Come on, the gardens are this way."

Sylvia caught up with Draco and started walking beside him. "Draco, what does that word mean?"

He glanced at her. "What word?"

"The word you always call Hermione." She frowned. "I mean, I can tell it's not good, but... why do you and your parents use it?"

They reached the west side of the gardens. In the center of the hedges was a large fountain. Despite the freezing temperature, water still spilled out from the structure into the small pool at the base. Looking down into the water, Sylvia could see fish swimming inside.

Draco sat down on the edge of the fountain. "It's a word for witches or wizards who are born to muggles. Because of that, we consider their blood dirty, like mud."

Sylvia furrowed her brow. "But what difference does that make? They can still do magic. Look at Hermione; she's the best in our class. Even you had to admit it."

"Yeah, because the mud-blood always has her nose stuck in a book. But does she know about the ways of our world, or any of the others like her that have managed to slime their way into the school?" He stood. "No. They don't have magical parents, so they waste everyone's energy having every little detail explained to them. And their muggle families can get a taste of our world through them. They don't deserve it. Of course, they're not the worse. There's also the half-breeds and the squibs."

"Half-breeds and squibs?"

"Half human and half of some second class creature. That big giant who lives on the grounds and Flitwick are two of them." He sneered at the air. "And squibs are the largest embarrassment to wizard kind. They can be born to completely magical families and yet still possess no magical talent at all. We usually abandon them in the muggle world."

_Wait, so muggles can be born to magical people too?_ She bit her lip. "And where do I fit into all of this? I didn't get to grow up in this world either. I mean, going by what you said, I shouldn't be here."

Draco met her gaze. "You're pure-blood, Sylvia, and you possess the ability. Magic is your birth right. You deserve to be here more than any of them, especially Granger." He snorted. "Now if only you started acting like it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know." He folded his arms. "Stop hanging around Potter, Weasley, and the mud-blood. They're not worthy of your friendship."

She shook her head. "But…."

Draco groaned. "Come on, Sylvia, get it through your head! What is so fascinating about the Golden Trio that you're willing to risk your status for them?"

"I…." Sylvia glanced away. She had an answer, but Draco would never understand. For it was quite simple, she wasn't prejudice. While it took Hermione and Ron a little while to come around, the three of them were better friends for her than anyone in her own house. Still, that didn't change the fact that she was in Slytherin, and that she was residing at Malfoy Manor where her views on the world counted for nothing but disdain.

He smiled. "Exactly. Learn to take pride in what you are, Sylvia. You're better than them, and they'll only end up hurting you if you keep this up."

Sylvia sighed. "Alright, I'll try."

Draco nodded. "Good." He walked away and started messing with some of the vines growing around the hedge.

Sylvia huddled her legs up to her chest and rested her head against her knees. _I hate this place._

….

The Christmas holiday soon ended, and Sylvia found herself on the Hogwarts Express heading back to school. Sylvia didn't even bother finding Hermione. Instead, she stayed in the compartment with Draco and his friends and remained silent the whole time.

She stared out the window. _What am I going to do once we reach the school? Maybe I should explain to them what happened? No, they'd never understand. And what would it matter? They wouldn't be able to help me anyway. I don't want to give up my friends, but after what happened at the Manor, I don't have any choice. I don't want to think about what Lucius will do if I disobey him again._

At the return feast, she didn't acknowledge Harry, Ron, or Hermione. She just kept her head down and focused on eating. Luckily it wasn't long until everyone was sent to their houses for the night. However, it was only going to be a matter of time before she had to confront them.

….

The next morning Sylvia continued to avoid her friends during breakfast and Potions. In class, she partnered with Draco and did her best not to make eye contact with the others. After class, she walked out into the empty corridor by herself.

Harry ran up beside her. "Hey, Sylvia? Wait."

She paused in her stride and looked at him briefly.

He noticed her expression. "Is something wrong?"

Sylvia shook her head. "Nothing for you to worry about." She bit her lip. "Did you want something?"

Harry nodded. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with us to the library?"

"I can't." Sylvia looked away. "I need to get my homework started early." She quickly turned her heel, ready to walk away.

Hermione stepped in front of her. "Come on, Sylvia, what's wrong? You haven't said a word to us since we've gotten back."

"Sylvia, where are you!"

Turning in the direction of the voice, Sylvia saw Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle coming their way. She looked at the others. "I'm sorry, guys, but I really should get going. Bye." Sylvia walked off, leaving the group baffled.

Draco eyed Sylvia while he folded his arms. "What were you doing?"

Sylvia shrugged. "Don't worry about it. They were just asking me something stupid."

Nodding, Draco headed down another corridor with Sylvia and his goons following close behind. They returned to the common room.

"Sylvia, what did I tell you before?" Draco sat on the couch next to the fireplace.

Sylvia sat beside Draco on the couch while Crabbe and Goyle sat opposite from them. She faked a smile. "I know, I know, but Harry was just asking me something."

"Fine then." He nodded. "If Potter and his golden followers give you any trouble, just come to me. I'll straighten them out."

"Of course." Sylvia stood up. "Excuse me, but I left something in my dorm room. I'll be right back." She headed for the stairs.

Draco watched her walked to the girls' dorm. "Don't take too long, Sylvia. I don't want to be late for class."

"Yes, Draco." Sylvia sighed while she slowly made her way up the steps. _Face it, there's nothing you can do about this. I'll just have to stay away from Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the others._

….

As the days passed, Sylvia grew more distant from the Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She never sat by them in class, she would always ignore them in the halls and during meals, and she spent most of her time hiding in the Slytherin common room. Most of the time, she barely ever spoke; just because she was reluctantly avoiding her real friends, didn't mean she had to interact with Draco and the others.

One day in February, she made her way to Hooch's office. She decided she needed something to get her mind off of everything. _Training to fly better would definitely do it._ She knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Sylvia stepped inside. "Excuse me, Madam Hooch. I'd like to talk with you."

Hooch looked at her. "Yes, Ms. Hexington?"

She stood in front of the desk. "Well, I was wondering if I could have some extra practice with flying."

Hooch raised an eyebrow. "What for? I'm not sure if you would make the Quidditch team. You're a bit shaky on your broom, plus you put in too much power when you speed up. Or have you already forgotten how you almost crashed into the Ravenclaw stand?"

"Uh, right." Sylvia smiled sheepishly.

She hadn't considered joining the Quidditch team. While it did look like a fun sport, she had no interest in playing for Slytherin. No, she wanted to learn just for the sake mastering the skill of flying itself. That way, when she was feeling down, she would always have something to remind her of her old home.

Sylvia shook her head. "No, Madam Hooch, I don't want to join the team. I just want to master flying."

Hooch thought for a second before nodding. "Very well. After all, citizens of the Wizarding World don't only fly just for sport. You can practice with me after class for the rest of the term."

Sylvia smiled. "Thank you, Madam Hooch."

….

A few more months passed. One evening, Sylvia had decided to study in the common room. However, after flipping through pages and scribbling notes down onto her parchment, she ended up falling asleep on the couch.

"Sylvia, wake up."

She felt someone shake her. "Huh, what?" She slowly opened her eyes, still groggy, and saw Draco standing beside her.

He looked at her, arms folded. "Hurry, get up."

Sylvia sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Why?" Glancing around, she realized it must have been late. However, judging by the determined expression on Draco's face that couldn't have been the reason he disturbed her.

He tugged on her sleeve. "I need you to come with me to spy on Potter and his friends."

She raised an eyebrow. "But it's already after hours."

He smirked. "Exactly."

Sylvia blinked. "Why do I have to go?"

Draco met her gaze. "Because it'll be a great opportunity to serve your house."

"You think I care about something like that?" She put her hands on her hips. "And besides, I don't wanna get caught and get into trouble."

"We're not going to get into trouble. And like I said before, you still need to prove yourself as a true Slytherin. This will be the perfect chance." He held out his hand. "So?"

Sylvia shifted her gaze between his hand and his face. "And what if I say no?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on." He snatched her hand again and headed out of the common room.

Since the beginning of the year, neither Sylvia nor Draco had ever been out of their house after curfew. She had to admit that it was a completely different atmosphere. The corridors were dark and silent, and the only noise was their feet clapping against the stone floor. The torches that aligned the walls dimly lighted their path.

Sylvia looked at Draco worriedly. They were making their way through the dungeons. _What if someone sees us, and what's so important that Draco has to risk skipping curfew?_ As they reached the Grand Staircase, Sylvia glanced around nervously. "We're going to get caught. I know it."

"Shush." Draco put a finger to his lips.

They made it outside to the courtyard. Looking ahead of Draco, Sylvia saw that they were headed toward Hagrid's hut.

She frowned. "Draco, what is this about?"

He stopped running and walked over to a small window. "Come over here."

Sylvia stepped up next to him and peeked through. Inside, they saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione talking to Hagrid, and on the table was a baby dragon.

Draco's eyes widened. "Whoa."

Hagrid noticed Draco and Sylvia's silhouette and looked up. "'Ey, who is that?"

"He saw us. Run." Draco snatched Sylvia by the hand again and rushed back to the castle.

Sylvia felt her heart race. They were going to into so much trouble. "Can't we just go back to the common room before anyone else sees us?"

Draco looked like he was considering it, but then he gave Sylvia a small smirk. "No, instead I think we should pay Professor McGonagall a little visit."

Sylvia frowned at the idea, but was dragged along anyway. They found McGonagall's classroom and went to her office. While Draco spoke with the Professor, Sylvia stood off to the side, mentally scolding herself for being taken on this little _mission_.

_This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong._

She shook her head and sighed. Sylvia glanced up when she saw McGonagall and Draco walk pass her. She decided to follow. Hearing voices echoing in the corridor, she furrowed her brow.

McGonagall stepped out of the classroom. "Good Evening."

Sylvia saw Draco smirk and walk out from behind McGonagall. Curious, she walked out into the open to see who else was there and frowned. It was Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Sylvia glanced at Draco; his smirk was spread wide across his face. His plan ended up working. The trio just stood there like three raccoons about to get smashed by a whomping willow.

Sylvia didn't bother to make eye contact with them. _Now, they're going to hate me for sure._ She just looked away, her mind filled with guilt.

McGonagall brought them into her classroom. She walked behind her desk while Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in front of her, ready to receive their lecture. Draco and Sylvia were standing off to the side. The first still beamed with pride while the latter still refused to meet the others' gaze.

"Nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night." McGonagall looked at the group with a stern expression. "Therefore as punishment, fifty points will be taken."

Sylvia saw all three of the Gryffindors cringe. _Oh, why did I let Draco drag me into this? And come to think of it, what were Harry, Ron, and Hermione doing out this late anyway? It couldn't have been to just visit Hagrid._

Harry's jaw dropped. "Fifty!"

McGonagall nodded. "Each." She received groans from the three Gryffindors. "And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all _five_ of you will receive detention."

Draco's smirk fell. "Excuse me, Professor. Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the _five_ of us?"

"You are not mistaken, Mr. Malfoy. For you see, as honorable as your intentions were, you and Ms. Hexington were still out of bed after hours. You both will join your classmates in detention."

Sylvia glared at him. "I told you this was going to get us in trouble. Why did I let you drag me out here?"

Draco pursed his lips. "Quiet." He sulked under Harry's gaze.

….

The next night, Mr. Filch led Harry, Ron, Hermione, Sylvia, and Draco out of the castle. "You'll be serving your detention with Hagrid tonight. He has some business to take care of in the dark forest."

Draco shrunk back. "The Forest? I thought that was a joke; we can't go in there. Students aren't allowed and there are… werewolves."

Sylvia shivered at the thought. _We're really going into the Dark Forest? At night?_

Mr. Filch gave him a cold stare. "Well, you're gonna have to serve detention; otherwise, you'll be expelled."

Hagrid headed toward the forest's edge. "All right, you lot, let's hurry."

They walked for a while through the misty fog and thousands of trees until Hagrid stopped at a pool of silvery liquid. He put a finger to it, drawing out a bit of the strange substance, and let drip back down to the ground while he examined it.

Harry bit his lip. "Hagrid, exactly what is that?"

"It's what we're here for. That right there, it's unicorn blood that is. I found one dead a few weeks ago, this one's been hurt bad by somethin'. Now our job is to go out and find the poor beast." Hagrid glanced out toward depths of the forest. "We'll split up into two groups. Hermione and Ron, you'll come with me. Harry, you'll go with Malfoy and Hexington."

"Um, Hagrid, are you sure it's a good idea for us to split up? We don't know our way around here. What if we get lost?" Sylvia glanced at the forest around them. She understood why it got its name. It was dark, creepy, and the sounds they were hearing weren't too comforting either. How on earth did Hagrid expect a couple of first years like them to be able to defend themselves on their own?

Hagrid nodded. "Oh right. If you get into any trouble, just send up a red flare with your wands. Now let's get movin'."

Draco, Sylvia, and Harry parted ways from the others and made their journey to find the unicorn. Draco held the lantern and looked in every direction. Every time he heard a strange howl or a bush slightly shake, the hairs on his neck stood up. Harry was calm the entire time. Sylvia silently followed, hoping nothing would jump out and attack them.

"Wait till my father hears about this." Draco sneered at the air. "This is servant stuff."

Sylvia elbowed him. "Well, if you didn't go out of your way to cause trouble, _Malfoy_, we wouldn't be in this mess. I wanted to go back to the common room, but you had to tell Professor McGonagall."

Draco elbowed her back. "Oh, shut it."

Harry frowned. "Don't treat her that way. She does have a good point."

He snuffed him. "No one asked you, _Potter_."

The three of them reached a little hill in the pathway, and beyond that point they saw a dead unicorn lying on the ground.

Harry stepped forward. "Well, there's the unicorn."

Sylvia gulped. "Wait, do you hear that?"

A sloshing sound echoed around them, making them go silent. Draco started to quiver, and he pointed ahead. There was a cloaked figure leaning over the unicorn. The cloak was so dark that they could barely see it within the shadows of the forest. It raised its head, growling at the intruders.

Draco screamed at the top of his lungs and immediately ran the opposite way, taking Sylvia along with him. They rushed through the bushes and the trees, getting as far away from the area as possible.

It wasn't until several minutes later that Sylvia stopped running. "Hang on, wait."

Draco looked back at her. "Come on, Sylvia. Did you see that thing back there? We have to get out of here!"

Sylvia glanced around. "But where are we? Are you sure this is the right way?"

Draco scanned the area as well. The mist made it difficult to see very far, and every path looked the same. "What? We can't be lost. I'm sure it's this way."

"Wait, where's Harry?" Sylvia cupped her hands around her mouth. "Harry!"

Draco grabbed her hands. "Quiet. Do you want that thing to find us too?"

She pulled away from him. "But we left Harry behind." She gasped. "That monster could have gotten him." She bit her lip. _What if he's dead? Oh, no. Why did we have to come out here?_

Draco looked at her. "What was the spell that big oaf told us to use?"

Sylvia thought for a minute. "That's right, the red sparks. Why don't we do it together? It'll be brighter that way."

Draco pulled out his wand while Sylvia pulled out hers. They pointed them upward and recited the incantation; red lights sparked from their wands like fireworks.

"He better have seen it." Draco sneered at the air. "Stupid half-breed getting us lost and nearly killed."

Sylvia heard footsteps approaching them. Squinting her eyes, she saw Hagrid's large frame in the distance. She waved her arm. "Over here!"

Ron and Hermione quickly rushed over to them, but the two Gryffindors paused, realizing someone was missing.

Hermione looked at Sylvia. "Where's Harry?"

Sylvia pointed in the direction she thought she and Draco ran from. "Back there. We found a unicorn, and there was this monster eating it. Harry got left behind."

"Come on, let's hurry." Hagrid quickly made his way toward the direction Sylvia was pointing.

Sylvia, Draco, Ron, and Hermione quietly followed behind him. They soon returned to the spot where the dead unicorn was. Next to it was Harry and a large centaur.

Sylvia glanced around. The monster was nowhere in sight; her gaze fell on Harry. He looked unharmed, making her sigh. _Thank goodness._ _Still what was that monster? I'd hate to see what else lives in this forest._

….

Draco stepped into the Slytherin common room. He hadn't been so glad to be back in the castle than he did now. _First thing, tomorrow morning, I'm owling father._ He glanced at Sylvia, who was trailing in behind him. "Could you walk any slower?"

Sylvia looked up at him abruptly, as though she was coming out of a daydream. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

Draco walked over to the couch in front of the fireplace and sat down. "I can't believe I had to serve detention. Doesn't matter though, Potter still lost all those points for his house. They'll never be able to make up for it before the term ends."

"What?" Sylvia walked over to him. "Is that what this was all about? The stupid house cup?"

Draco smirked. "Of course it was."

Sylvia narrowed her eyes at him. "I can't believe you. And on top of it, you had to drag me into this. Now they're going to hate me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Who cares?"

"I do!" She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Why should I have to side with you, the rest of Slytherin house, and your parents? Harry, Ron, and Hermione are my real friends!"

"You can't be serious?" Draco stood up. "After everything my parents and I have told you, you still want to be friends with them?"

Sylvia folded her arms. "Yes, I do. And this time you're not going to stop me."

"Oh really?" Draco stepped over to Sylvia until he was towering over her. He saw her reach for her wand and quickly held her arms down. "Don't even try it."

Sylvia pulled back. "Let me go."

"Not until you listen me." Draco met her gaze. "Stop wasting your time with Potter, Weasley and that mud-blood. I'm warning you, Sylvia. If you don't, I'll…."

She narrowed her eyes. "Do it! Then you can have the professors stick you with another detention for being such a git."

They stared each other down for what seemed like hours before Draco loosened his grip. Sylvia quickly pulled away and ran to the stairs. He watched her until she disappeared into the doors, his blood boiling.


End file.
